Owen Power was asked about the positive aspects of the Buffalo Sabres’ last game, a 2-1 loss in Detroit that they controlled for long stretches at even strength.

“There’s definitely lots of good in it,” Power said Monday. “But I think we’ve got to set a higher standard and be able to do that for 60 minutes.”

Elevating the standard was the message from coach Lindy Ruff as the Sabres enter another Atlantic Division matchup with the Ottawa Senators at KeyBank Center on Tuesday.

The Senators sit three points ahead of the Sabres in the wild card standings, which remain crowded with the third- and last-place teams separated by only five points.

• Tickets for tonight

The puck drops at 7 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.)

Streaming (out of market): ESPN+

Radio: WGR 550

Click here for more ways to watch Sabres games.

Lineup notes

Zach Benson was a full participant in practice on Monday after missing the last five games with a lower-body injury. Ruff said afterward that the team had not yet made a decision on his status for the game against the Senators.

“[It’s a] possibility,” Ruff said when asked about Benson’s playing status. “We’ll see how he got through today. Today was his first full practice. I think I’ve seen where one practice (is) not enough practice, although he skated pretty hard through the weekend. He may need more.”

Ruff also said there’s “a good chance” that Jacob Bryson remains in the lineup on defense after making his season debut in Detroit on Saturday. Bryson spent Monday’s practice on the second pair alongside Power.

Stay tuned for lineup updates following the Sabres’ morning skate at 10:30 a.m.

Storylines

1. Raising the standard

Ruff acknowledged the improvements in the Sabres’ loss to Detroit on Saturday versus their previous two losses. They cleaned up their defensive play, limited odd-man rushes against, and held the Red Wings without a goal at even strength as a result. Detroit won solely on the strength of two power-play goals from Dylan Larkin.

All that being said, Ruff echoed Power in saying the team cannot rest on those positives without a winning result.

“Not accepting that’s good enough,” Ruff said. “Not accepting that we’ve done a lot of good things. “We got to win games, that’s the key. Raise the standard, raise the expectation. I’m not going to stand here and talk about (it). We did good things, but finish the good things, finish those of those great opportunities, but it in the back of the net. That’s what we’re here for.”

Part of the focus is on eliminating momentary lapses that prove costly in otherwise strong performances, be it untimely penalties or missed coverages on rushes against.

“I think it goes pretty well and then we have a drop with one huge mistake,” Power said. “I think we’ve just got to be able to really kind of dial it in for the whole game.”

2. Special teams

The Sabres had scored a power-play goal in three straight games prior to an 0-for-2 night in the loss to the Red Wings. They went back to work on Monday with an emphasis on shot mentality.

“You look around the league, all the best power plays in the league shoot the puck a lot,” Power said. “I think that’s something we’ve talked about and when we do it, we’re a lot better and harder to stop.”

Ruff homed in on taking advantage of clearing opportunities on the penalty kill after allowing two power-play goals to the Red Wings.

“Enough of failed clears,” Ruff said. “You can have a good kill and you fail on the clear, it’s in the back of your net. Structure-wise, we’ve been limiting pretty good, but we’ll make that big mistake that costs us dearly. I think any time you have a failed clear it just seems like it’s going to bite you. The opposition keeps it alive, you ended up being a little tired in the zone, or you’re anticipating the puck going down the ice and you’re out of position for a couple seconds.”

3. Scouting the Senators

Ottawa is coming off a 3-0 victory over Seattle on Saturday. Anton Forsberg made 22 saves for the shutout.

The Senators enter Tuesday as the league’s seventh-most productive scoring team with an average of 3.82 goals per game. Their power play ranks third in the NHL at 33.3 percent, even after going a combined 0-for-8 in their last two games.

Brady Tkachuk leads Ottawa with seven goals while fourth-line center Adam Gaudette has scored six in the past five games – already halfway to his previous career high for an entire season. Tim Stutzle leads the team and is tied for 12th in the league with 16 points (6+10).

Game notes

• Ruff stuck with Bowen Byram on the top pair alongside Rasmus Dahlin for practice on Monday after the two defensemen skated together in Detroit. The Sabres owned a 27-6 advantage in shot attempts with Byram and Dahlin on the ice at 5-on-5.
• Dahlin is one point shy of 300 for his career. Phil Housley (558) and Mike Ramsey (329) are the only defensemen to score 300 career points in a Sabres uniform.
• Dahlin’s next assist will be the 233rd of his career, which will move him into a tie with Doug Bodger for fourth-most among defensemen in Sabres history. Alexei Zhitnik is next on the list with 234.
• Power has six points (1+5) in the last five games. His nine points this season are tied for eighth among NHL defensemen.