Senators stay hot, Sabres beat Panthers 5–3 | Atlantic Division roundup

A busy Monday in the Atlantic Division saw the Ottawa Senators cement their spot atop the standings and the Buffalo Sabres grab a key win over the Florida Panthers, with several storylines unfolding off the ice as well.

Senators keep rolling, defence leads the way

Sitting first in the Atlantic with 10 points in 6 games (5-1-0), the Senators added another convincing result with a 4–1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. According to Sportsnet, Tim Stützle paced the offence with a goal and an assist, while Linus Ullmark turned aside 29 shots. Shane Pinto and Stephen Halliday also scored, with Pinto striking nine seconds into the second period off a faceoff win by Michael Amadio and a setup from Claude Giroux.

Sportsnet’s panel emphasized how Ottawa’s blue line drove the win, even as the group took another hit. Defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo left the game early after a hit from behind by Anthony Mantha, which resulted in a major penalty for boarding, as shown by Sportsnet. Daily Faceoff reported that Matinpalo suffered an upper-body injury, and Ullmark acknowledged after the game, via Sportsnet, that the Senators’ defence corps is dealing with multiple issues.

Sabres down Panthers, Canadiens up next

In Buffalo, the Sabres emerged with a 5–3 win over the Panthers, a divisional opponent they entered the day tied with in points. Sportsnet reports that Tage Thompson registered a goal and an assist, including a top-corner insurance marker, while Noah Ostlund scored the go-ahead goal in the third period. As already noted on our site, Rasmus Dahlin left the game with an injury in the second period, a situation also highlighted by La Presse and Daily Faceoff as an upper-body issue.

The win moves Buffalo to 3-3-0 and 6 points, level with Florida at 2-2-2 and 6 points. Off the ice, Daily Faceoff notes that the Sabres acquired defenceman Caleb Jones from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Ryan Johnson, a former first-round pick of Buffalo.

The Sabres quickly shift focus to another important divisional matchup: they host the Montreal Canadiens tonight. Eyes on the Prize lays out the viewing information for Game 6 of the Habs’ season, with a 6:30 p.m. ET puck drop and regional broadcasts on TSN2, RDS and MSG Buffalo, plus streaming options.

Habs recall Beck, Leafs juggling blue-line questions

In Montreal, Eyes on the Prize reports that the Canadiens recalled forward Owen Beck from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Monday. The same outlet notes that Jacob Fowler is back with the Habs and that the organization is promoting internal competition in goal, a theme also echoed by Sportsnet. Head coach Martin St-Louis’s handling of Jake Evans’ ice time has been a talking point, though specific comments were not detailed.

In Toronto, several off-ice notes surfaced. Sportsnet says Chris Tanev’s injury leaves the Maple Leafs with significant questions on the back end. Auston Matthews reflected with Sportsnet on the 10-year anniversary of his four-goal NHL debut, describing how both distant and recent it feels. Sportsnet also reports that captain John Tavares has re-joined the team in Utah after the birth of his son.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, the Tampa Bay Lightning (8 points in 5 games) and Boston Bruins (8 points in 6 games) stayed idle but firmly in the top half of the standings. The Canadiens sit in the middle with 5 points in 5 games, while the Detroit Red Wings trail the pack with 3 points in 5 outings in what already looks like a tightly contested division.