After a couple losses in Florida against the Panthers and Lightning, the Ottawa Senators return home for the next little while.
They’ll play their next four within the friendly confines of the Canadian Tire Centre. Nashville, Philadelphia and Buffalo all come to town before the Christmas break. New Jersey is here right after.
It starts with a match up against Kyle Turris and the Nashville Predators.
Tonight also marks Matt Duchene’s first game back in Ottawa as a member of the Nashville Predators.
It was surrounded by the loss of two long-time fan favourites so Matt Duchene’s departure barely registered on the ol’ heartbreak scale.
Partly because the Senators got a pretty good return, partly because it would have been insane to pay Duchene was the Predators are ($10 million this season) and maybe because we all knew he wasn’t long for this place.
Duchene said all the right things when he arrived in Ottawa. He made it seem like he really wanted to be here and because it meant leaving Colorado, he probably really did. As the long and awkward negotiations played out during the season, you might have actually been fooled into thinking Duchene was considering a long-term extension in Ottawa and that the team was really thinking about signing him to one.
Yet clearly, his heart (and his Airbnb rental property) were always in Nashville. Duchene could have been a fan-favourite here. A leader on a rebuilding hockey team. Instead, a 15 second tribute video during his return to Ottawa might even be excessive.
Edit- Especially since he had already made his return to Ottawa last year. Yikes.
Welcome back, Matt. The stage at Bert’s is available is you want to stop by after the game.
The Senators are on the ice for their morning skate at 10:30 AM this morning so we’ll find out more about the line up then.
Max Lajoie was returned to Belleville yesterday so he’s out on the blueline. Maybe Thomas Chabot can just play 40 minutes tonight?
A best guess at the line up for now.
Tkachuk-Pageau-C.Brown
Namestnikov-Tierney-Duclair
Ennis-Anisimov-Paul
L.Brown-Beaudin-White
Chabot-Hainsey
Borowiecki-Goloubef
Englund-Brannstrom
Anders Nilsson is sick which means Marcus Hogberg gets the start in goal for the home side. Filip Gustavsson has been recalled and will dress as his back up.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM. The game is available on TSN5, RDS2 and on the internet probably.
The table.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 16-12-5 (37 pts) | 14-18-3 (31 pts) |
| Goals For | 3.45 (4th) | 2.69 (T-21st) |
| Goals Against | 3.15 (T-22nd) | 3.20 (25th) |
| Power Play | 15.6% (26th) | 10.0% (31st) |
| Penalty Kill | 77.9% (24th) | 82.8% (11th) |
| Shots For | 33.6 (6th) | 30.1(24th) |
| Shots Against | 29.1 (4th) | 32.5 (25th) |
| Leading Scorers | Josi- 30 pts Jarnkrok- 25 pts Ellis- 25 pts |
Duclair- 26 pts Pageau- 24 pts Brown- 21 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Juuse Saros 5-7-2 2.97 GAA, .899 sv% |
Marcus Hogberg 0-1-1 2.56 GAA, .913 sv% |
