Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres at Senators

OTTAWA - Casey Mittelstadt and Zemgus Girgensons will return to the lineup for the Sabres against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.
Mittelstadt has appeared in four games this season. He sustained an upper-body injury during the season opener against Montreal, returned for three contests in December, and then had surgery to repair the issue on Dec. 10.
Girgensons has missed five games with a lower-body injury.
Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops at 7.
Here are five things to get you ready.

1. Mittelstadt to skate alongside Krebs

Mittelstadt is expected to center a line with Peyton Krebs and Anders Bjork. Sabres coach Don Granato outlined his thinking behind pairing Mittelstadt with Krebs after practice on Monday.
"Mittsy's a driver," Granato said. "Mittsy demands of his linemates and teammates. He's a demanding guy. As a coach, he's kind of one of those dream players because as a coach you've got to be pushing guys all you can and when you have a player that pushes his own linemates or his teammates, it's really nice.
"… He expects success, Mittsy does. And I think Krebs has the potential with his creativity and the way they think the game, the way they process the game, and Krebs is an extremely determined guy. He settles for nothing less than almost perfection. So, it's interesting. I'm curious to see how they do, if they can develop some chemistry."
Read more about how the team expects to benefit from Mittelstadt's return here.

2. Del to start in goal

Aaron Dell gets the nod in net for the Sabres. Dell has a .914 save percentage in four starts since his most recent recall on Jan. 12.

3. Special teams report

The Sabres' power play has scored at least one goal in eight of the past 10 games, performing at a 27.3-percetn clip during that span (9-for-33). Buffalo scored three power-play goals during its win over Philadelphia on Saturday.
The penalty kill, meanwhile, has allowed at least one goal in six of the past seven games - five of which were played without Girgensons, Buffalo's leader among forwards in shorthanded ice time per game.
"He brings a lot of good stability," Granato said of Girgensons. "He's consistent, he's in shooting lanes. So, yeah, I think it's nice to have him back."

4. Tuch through 9

Alex Tuch has 10 points through his first nine games with the Sabres after tallying a goal and assist on Saturday. Only three players in franchise history had more points through their first nine games after being acquired in a trade:
1. Doug Gilmour - 13
T-2. Steve Heinze - 11
T-2. Pat LaFontaine - 11
Tuch leads Sabres forward in average ice time (19:07), including a team-high 21:20 against the Flyers.

5. Scouting the Senators

The Senators have gone 1-1-1 since the Sabres visited Canadian Tire Centre last Tuesday. Anton Forsberg made 36 saves to win their most recent game, a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets on Sunday.
Tim Stutzle, the third-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, split a pair of defenders for the winning goal in that game, giving him 11 points in 13 games dating back to Dec. 4. Stutzle logged a season-high 22:41 of ice time in the Senators' previous meeting with the Sabres.
Drake Batherson leads the Senators in points (33) and assists (21). Josh Norris has a team-high 18 goals. His seven goals on the power play are tied for 11th in the NHL.
Ottawa will be without defenseman Erik Brannstrom, who entered COVID-19 protocol on Tuesday morning. Matt Murray will start in goal.