The Ottawa Senators played a hockey game tonight but hardly anyone is talking about the result afterwards.

Late in the second period, Sens defenceman Erik Karlsson was cut by the skate of Matt Cooke and left the ice in obvious pain. Replays showed the skate of Cooke slicing across the back of Karlsson's left ankle in a sight that turned stomachs across the city of Ottawa.

Looking to build on a solid outing against the Sabres last night, the Senators are right back at it tonight when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While the Sabres have struggled to start the season, playing the Penguins on a back to back presents an entirely different challenge.  They come into the game holding down the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference and boast one of the league’s most offensively gifted line ups.  Safe to say the Sens will have their hands full in this one.

With Jason Spezza on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, the Ottawa Senators will need their best players to step up to win hockey games.

That is exactly what happened on Tuesday night.  Craig Anderson was an absolute rock in goal and defenceman Erik Karlsson scored the game winner while shorthanded, leading the Sens to a much needed 2-0 win over their division rivals, the Buffalo Sabres.

With the Ottawa Senators coming off a shutout loss to the Winnipeg Jets, a visit from the Buffalo Sabres may be just what the doctor ordered for a struggling offence.

Last time the two teams met, exactly one week ago, Ottawa was able to put four pucks behind Sabres starter Jhonas Enroth on their way to a 4-3 victory.  Things won’t be quite as easy this time around as the Sabres are expected to go with their starting goalie, Ryan Miller.

As the Ottawa Senators get set for a week that includes a back to back against the Sabres and Penguins beginning tomorrow night, it seems like an appropriate time to quickly check in on the rumour mill.

While things seem relatively quiet around the Senators right now, you can be sure the team’s recent goal scoring troubles has General Manager Bryan Murray actively searching for help up front.  And while nothing seems imminent, there are a couple names that could be options for the Sens in the not too distant future.

On the heels of a disappointing overtime loss at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Senators are back in action when they host the Winnipeg Jets in an afternoon affair.

Despite Thursday night's loss, the Sens were able to pick up a single point, something they have managed to do in every home game so far this season. Paul MacLean's team will be looking for a couple points this time around with the 11th place Jets in town.

(UPDATED 1:42 PM)- Jason Spezza spoke to the media this morning for the first time since undergoing back surgery a week ago.  While has yet to officially begin the rehab process, he is hopeful he can return before the start of playoffs.  The video of that interview can be seen at the top of this post courtesy of Daniel Slater from theScore.

Fresh off an offensive surge against the Buffalo Sabres, the Ottawa Senators look to continue their winning ways with the Carolina Hurricanes in town.

The two teams met back in Raleigh last week with the Hurricanes controlling the play, on their way to a 1-0 win.  Paul MacLean’s team will be looking for a different outcome tonight when they play the second game in a four game homestand.  

Coming into last night’s contest, the Ottawa Senators were struggling to find goals without their number one centre.

That wasn’t a problem on Tuesday night though as the Sens got goals from Erik Karlsson, Chris Phillips, Daniel Alfredsson and the eventual game winner from Chris Neil as Ottawa held on for a huge 4-3 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres.

After losses at the hands of the Hurricanes on Friday, and then Canadiens on Sunday afternoon, the Senators return home to the friendly confines of Scotiabank Place.

Ottawa will play their next four games at SBP and need to start picking up points.  Over the next seven days, they’ll play the Sabres, Hurricanes, Jets and then Buffalo again.  It’s a crucial stretch for a team that has struggled since learning they’ll be without their number one centre until at least April.