Game Day- Senators Host Predators at CTC

SensChirp December 17, 2018 0
Game Day- Senators Host Predators at CTC

One of the things I was not expecting about this rebuilding season is the intense game to game swings.

On Friday night, the Ottawa Senators looked like a team that could challenge for a playoff spot.  Despite having their top centre out of the line up, the Sens played a solid road game in Detroit.  Some timely goal scoring combined with uncharacteristically sound defensive play and a tidy two points against the Red Wings.

And then Saturday night, one of the worst games I have ever seen the Senators play.  And that’s saying something.  While they held a lead heading into the 3rd period, that effort against the Montreal Canadiens was shameful.  If not for the play of their journeyman goalie, that’s a six or seven goal loss.  And while that was a tough back to back, I really thought the Senators would dig deep against a team that beat twice already this month.  Instead they just rolled over.

It’s going to be interesting to see how they respond on home ice tonight when the powerhouse Nashville Predators come to town.

As the Sens found out a couple weeks ago back in Nashville, this Preds team doesn’t give you much. They are basically the anti-Ottawa Senators. Rock solid in their own end of the rink and Vezina caliber goaltending from Pekka Rinne on most nights.  It goes without saying but if the Senators don’t turn in a better effort than Saturday, they’ll be run out of the rink.

Yesterday, the Senators announced that both Erik Burgdoerfer and Stefan Elliott are headed back to Belleville.  Christian Jaros made his return on Saturday night and now it seems like one of Mark Borowiecki and Dylan DeMelo is ready to do the same.

Max McCormick was also placed on waivers yesterday which seemed inevitable when the team tacked on that bizarre one-way season on his last contract.  While McCormick has had his moments where he looked like a potentially effective fourth line forward, he has been almost invisible this year.  And with Nick Paul showing some flashes recently, it’s clear that McCormick is being passed on the depth chart.

Game Day skate is set for 10:30 AM so we’ll find out the line up then. A best guess for now.

Tkachuk-White-Stone
Boedker-Tierney-Ryan
Dzingel-Smith-Paajarvi
Pyatt-Paul-Batherson

Chabot-Harpur
Lajoie-Ceci
Falk-Jaros

Craig Anderson is your likely starter. Puck drop is set for 7:38 PM sharp.

The game is available on TSN5, RDS2 and…„sɯɐǝɹʇs ˥HN ʇıppǝɹ„ ǝןƃooƃ ʇsnɾ noʎ ɟı ǝuıןuo pǝɯɐǝɹʇs ǝq sʎɐʍןɐ ǝq uɐϽ

Presenting, the 99th table in SensChirp history.

HEAD2HEAD
Record 22-10-1 (45 pts) 14-16-4 (32 pts)
Goals For 3.12 (14th) 3.29 (T-9th)
Goals Against 2 45 (1st) 3.88 (31st)
Power Play 14.4% (27th) 21.7% (12th)
Penalty Kill 82.2% (T-9th) 74.5% (28th)
Shots For 32.1 (13th) 29.2 (25th)
Shots Against 28.4 (4th) 38.2 (31st)
Leading Scorers Johansen- 26 pts
Josi- 23 pts
Forsberg- 22 pts
Stone- 37 pts
Chabot- 35 pts
Duchene- 34 pts
Starting Goalie Pekka Rinne
14-5-1
1.96 GAA, .929 sv%
Craig Anderson
13-12-3
3.51 GAA, .907 sv%