Series Matchups

STANLEY CUP FINAL
Carolina vs Edmonton

ROUND THREE
Western Conference
Anaheim vs Edmonton
Eastern Conference
Carolina vs Buffalo

ROUND TWO
Western Conference
San Jose vs Edmonton
Anaheim vs Colorado
Eastern Conference
Ottawa vs Buffalo
Carolina vs New Jersey

ROUND ONE
Western Conference
Detroit vs Edmonton
Dallas vs Colorado
Calgary vs Anaheim
Nashville vs San Jose
Eastern Conference
Ottawa vs Tampa Bay
Carolina vs Montreal
New Jersey vs NY Rangers
Buffalo vs Philadelphia

Ottawa (1)	VS	Buffalo (4)
Buffalo wins best-of-seven series 4-1

Daniel Alfredsson. (Canadian Press)

No major changes for Senators

Ottawa Senators general manager John Muckler has no intention of rebuilding the club from scratch after another early exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs – but that doesn't mean he's going to keep the status. » FULL STORY

Ottawa Senators:

Regular-season statistics | Roster | Depth Chart

Buffalo Sabres:

Regular-season statistics | Roster | Depth Chart

Past Stories

TEAM ANALYSIS

	Strengths	Weaknesses	Key Player
Ottawa Senators 1st in East 52-21-9 113 points Key Numbers GF: 312 (1st) GA: 205 (2nd) PP: 20.8% (4th) PK: 84.7% (4th) » Key Numbers	Much has been made of Ottawa's offensive proficiency, and with good reason: the Senators scored the most goals per game in the league in both the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. And they're nearly as good at keeping the puck out of their own net. Despite the loss of starting goalie Dominik Hasek to injury, the Senators have rolled on with rookie backup Ray Emery, allowing the fewest goals in the East in the regular season and a respectable 2.60 per game against Tampa in the first round.	It's hard to knock a team with an NHL regular-season-best scoring differential that was 65 goals better than any other in the East, but goaltending could become an issue. With Hasek still hurt, it looks like Ottawa will again turn to Emery. The 23-year-old had a solid first round, including a .924 save percentage, but that was against a tepid Lightning team that finished in the middle of the pack in the league in goals scored. Buffalo will present a more difficult test for Emery.	Martin Havlat: Few could have blamed Havlat for being a little rusty after missing four and a half months with a shoulder injury. But after returning to the Senators lineup for the final two games of the regular season, the flashy 25-year-old quickly recaptured his offensive spark in the playoffs, setting a franchise record for the most goals in a series with six. If Havlat can continue his hot play, he'll take pressure off Ottawa's vaunted scoring trio of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. » Complete Stats
Buffalo Sabres 4th in East 52-24-6 110 points Key Numbers GF: 276 (T-5th) GA: 234 (10th) PP: 21.2% (3rd) PK: 86.6% (2nd) » Season leaders	The Sabres' lineup might be lacking in big names, but it packs a big punch. With a balanced attack featuring nine players that tallied at least 18 goals each, Buffalo was the league's fifth-highest scoring team in the regular season. Then the Sabres lit up the Flyers for 4.5 goals per game, second only to Ottawa, in the first round. Buffalo has also made a smooth transition to the new, fast-whistle NHL: they are among the stingiest teams when it comes to giving up penalties, and they're solid at killing them off too. The Sabres also have one of the best power plays in the NHL.	After posting a conference-high 25 road wins in the regular season, the Sabres looked sluggish in losing Games 3 and 4 of the first round in Philadelphia. Buffalo bounced back when it mattered, pounding the Flyers 7-1 in Game 6 in Philadelphia to clinch the series, but won't have the luxury of taking its foot of the gas against the favoured Senators. Continued strong play from rookie goalie Ryan Miller will be key for Buffalo, which allowed more shots on goal in the regular season than any team left in the playoffs.	Daniel Briere: Buffalo is often criticized for lacking a go-to player, but Briere, when in the lineup, was among the league's most productive players in the regular season. The 28-year-old, who missed a slew of mid-season contests with an abdominal injury, piled up 58 points in 48 games. Briere's nine points in the first round tied him with teammate Chris Drury for fifth in the post-season scoring race. » Complete Stats

Strengths

Weaknesses

Key Player

Ottawa Senators
1st in East
52-21-9
113 points

Key Numbers
GF: 312 (1st)
GA: 205 (2nd)
PP: 20.8% (4th)
PK: 84.7% (4th)

» Key Numbers

Much has been made of Ottawa's offensive proficiency, and with good reason: the Senators scored the most goals per game in the league in both the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. And they're nearly as good at keeping the puck out of their own net. Despite the loss of starting goalie Dominik Hasek to injury, the Senators have rolled on with rookie backup Ray Emery, allowing the fewest goals in the East in the regular season and a respectable 2.60 per game against Tampa in the first round.

It's hard to knock a team with an NHL regular-season-best scoring differential that was 65 goals better than any other in the East, but goaltending could become an issue. With Hasek still hurt, it looks like Ottawa will again turn to Emery. The 23-year-old had a solid first round, including a .924 save percentage, but that was against a tepid Lightning team that finished in the middle of the pack in the league in goals scored. Buffalo will present a more difficult test for Emery.

Martin Havlat: Few could have blamed Havlat for being a little rusty after missing four and a half months with a shoulder injury. But after returning to the Senators lineup for the final two games of the regular season, the flashy 25-year-old quickly recaptured his offensive spark in the playoffs, setting a franchise record for the most goals in a series with six. If Havlat can continue his hot play, he'll take pressure off Ottawa's vaunted scoring trio of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza.

» Complete Stats

Buffalo Sabres
4th in East
52-24-6
110 points

Key Numbers
GF: 276 (T-5th)
GA: 234 (10th)
PP: 21.2% (3rd)
PK: 86.6% (2nd)

» Season leaders

The Sabres' lineup might be lacking in big names, but it packs a big punch. With a balanced attack featuring nine players that tallied at least 18 goals each, Buffalo was the league's fifth-highest scoring team in the regular season. Then the Sabres lit up the Flyers for 4.5 goals per game, second only to Ottawa, in the first round. Buffalo has also made a smooth transition to the new, fast-whistle NHL: they are among the stingiest teams when it comes to giving up penalties, and they're solid at killing them off too. The Sabres also have one of the best power plays in the NHL.

After posting a conference-high 25 road wins in the regular season, the Sabres looked sluggish in losing Games 3 and 4 of the first round in Philadelphia. Buffalo bounced back when it mattered, pounding the Flyers 7-1 in Game 6 in Philadelphia to clinch the series, but won't have the luxury of taking its foot of the gas against the favoured Senators. Continued strong play from rookie goalie Ryan Miller will be key for Buffalo, which allowed more shots on goal in the regular season than any team left in the playoffs.

Daniel Briere: Buffalo is often criticized for lacking a go-to player, but Briere, when in the lineup, was among the league's most productive players in the regular season. The 28-year-old, who missed a slew of mid-season contests with an abdominal injury, piled up 58 points in 48 games. Briere's nine points in the first round tied him with teammate Chris Drury for fifth in the post-season scoring race.

» Complete Stats