BUFFALO, N.Y. — Forget about Plan B; when it comes to goaltending, the Sabres are far deeper in the alphabet.

Michael Houser will man the crease in Ottawa tonight, becoming the sixth different goalie to start for the Sabres this season. Houser was also the sixth goalie to start last year, when trades and injuries opened the door for the journeyman goaltender to close out the campaign with four straight starts.

"Last year was quite an experience for him to go through," said Head Coach Don Granato after today's morning skate. "Thrust in a situation he never would have expected. The thought of being in the NHL at that point, and all of a sudden, you are, and playing games. This time around, he has a little more hindsight, but his preparation is always awesome."

Granato says he has faith in each goalie that plays for the Sabres, adding that teams like Tampa Bay have also lost numerous goalies along the season.

"I like the way our guys handle it," he said. "The goaltenders that come in — I really do commend our guys who come in, four, five and six-deep, to compete the way they’ve competed."

This season has featured lots of competition and adversity. Granato doesn’t enjoy seeing his four best goalies miss time, but he hopes players learn from it.

"It’s a challenge, obviously," he said. "But you need to handle circumstances, and these are just circumstances, and you need to handle them well. We’re a team that needs to grow. An organization that needs to grow. Overcoming adversity is the best thing you can do — to learn to grow from adversity. If we look at this, just throw it in the category of, ‘hey, it’s an adverse situation, let’s deal with it. Let’s deal with it and still have the intent upon winning.’"

The Sabres and Senators play at 7 p.m. tonight, and the Sabres will be back at home Thursday to host Dallas.