Game Day- Disastrous Road Trip Ends in Buffalo

SensChirp December 12, 2017 3,208

On paper, this seven game road trip looked like it was going to be a difficult one for the Ottawa Senators.

It had the potential to be a stretch of games that would define their season. This team was already in trouble but now, after a trip that has seen them travel from one end of the continent and back again, they are in a complete free fall.   They have gone from playoff bubble to the league’s basement and they have shown next to no resistance along the way.

They’ll try to end this dreadful stretch on a high note as they visit a fellow basement dweller in the Buffalo Sabres.

There are only two teams that have had a worse start to their season than the Senators and tonight we get a look at one of them.

Each year, it feels like the perpetually rebuilding Sabres might be ready to turn a corner and contend for a playoff spot and each year they find a way to take another step backwards.  Still plenty of good young players in this line up but they just haven’t been able to put it all together on the ice.

The Senators will hold an optional skate this morning at 11:30 AM which hopefully means they can avoid having an optional skate at 7:00 PM.  Boucher met with the media yesterday and said Freddy Claesson will play but he hadn’t decided which defenceman would come out.

A best guess at the line up for now.

Smith-Brassard-Stone
Dzingel-Duchene-Ryan
Hoffman-Pageau-Dumont
Burrows-Thompson-Pyatt

Harpur-Karlsson
Phaneuf-Chabot
Oduya/Claesson-Ceci

Mike Condon gets the start in goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM.

Record 9-12-7 (25 pts) 7-17-6 (20 pts)
Goals For 2.71 (T-23rd) 2.13 (31st)
Goals Against 3.36 (28th) 3.37 (29th)
Power Play 16.0% (27th) 12.5% (30th)
Penalty Kill 77.1% (27th) 80.9% (16th)
Shots For/Shots Against 30.5 (22nd)
31.2 (10th)
30.9 (20th)
32.2 (20th)
Scoring Leaders Stone- 25 pts
Hoffman- 21 pts
Karlsson- 18 pts
Kane- 27 pts
Eichel- 23 pts
O’Reilly- 19 pts
Ice Time Leaders Karlsson- 25:25
Ceci-21:51
Stone- 20:49
Ristolainen- 27:20
Scandella- 23:48
Eichel- 20:40
Starting Goalie Mike Condon
2-2-4
3.28 GAA, .902 sv%
Robin Lehner
6-12-4
2.91 GAA, .910 sv%

-The NHL spotlight was set to shine on Ottawa this week because of the outdoor game but thanks to comments by Friedman, McKenzie, Dreger and LeBrun, everyone is talking about the Senators right now. Well, except for General Manager Pierre Dorion and Owner Eugene Melnyk.  Two guys who usually love to hear their voices on the radio have been oddly quiet during a time when you think they might have something to say about the various stories making the rounds about this team. You know, the whole “considering trading their franchise player” and “the team being for sale” thing.  Maybe somebody will be able to track them down this week?

-Wondering if Elliotte Friedman plans to provide some clarification regarding the comments he made on Sportsnet on Saturday night. Because based on what some of the players had to say yesterday, there are definitely discrepancies between Friedman’s account and what players like Zack Smith and Derick Brassard said yesterday.  Friedman seemed to be suggesting that players were recently asked for their lists as a result of the difficult stretch, while Smith seemed to be saying he was asked before the season started. And there’s a huge difference there, especially when Friedman is suggesting that the organization asked Karlsson as a way to “rattle his cage” because of comments he made in the media regarding upcoming contract negotiations.  Again, Dorion himself could probably help shed some light on this but additional explanation from Friedman is required too.