In Buffalo’s 6-1 loss to Montreal over the weekend, Steve Ott challenged former Ranger Brandon Prust. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. He was overmatched. What’s the point of fighting down 5-0? He drew an unsportsmanlike conduct too. The Sabres have struggled, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Panthers on home ice.

Outside of leading scorer Thomas Vanek’s five-point (3-2-5) explosion in a 7-4 win over the Bruins, Buffalo has really disappointed with a 3-5-1 start. Entering tonight’s game at Ottawa, they’re dead last in the Northeast and tied with Winnipeg for 11th in the East. Vanek is scoring at a ridiculous clip, leading the NHL with 19 points (8-11-19). He’s teamed with All-Star Jason Pominville (5-8-13) and ex-Canuck Cody Hodgson to form a lethal top line.

The trouble is nobody else is scoring. Ott’s off to a poor start (1-1-2, 20 PIM) and Drew Stafford hasn’t scored. Tyler Ennis only has lit the lamp twice. Making matters worse is what’s become of Tyler Myers. He’s tailing downward and has only one point (1-0-1) with a minus-six rating. He’s supposed to be Buffalo’s top defenseman. Instead, he and Jordan Leopold (assist, minus-eight) are their worst.

Ryan Miller is off slowly. The franchise netminder is 3-4-1 with a 3.11 GAA and .906 save percentage. He’s allowing bad goals at inopportune times. Jhonas Enroth has been dismal (7 GA on 48 shots). Since a 2-0 start, they’re 1-5-1. Both Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff are under fire. They have the Sens Tuesday and Montreal Thursday. Here’s a chance to get back on track.