Looking at the schedule for the rest of December, it’s clear this is going to be a tough stretch for the Ottawa Senators.
On Monday night, they took on the defending Champs. Now they head west to take on some of the best teams the other Conference has to offer.
It’s sort of strange. Every time one of these Western Conference powerhouses comes up on the schedule, the fan base gets a little worried. There’s this feeling of dread knowing that we’re about to go head to head with some of the top teams in the league.
And then a glance at Ottawa’s record against the teams from California tells a completely different story.
Over the past two and a quarter seasons, the Senators have an incredible 10-2-1 record against the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. That includes four straight wins over the Kings and Sharks.
So while these teams should certainly be respected and this California road trip should have everyone a little bit on edge, the last couple seasons have shown us that Ottawa can absolutely play with some of the top teams from the West.
Tonight, they take on the defending Western Conference Champion San Jose Sharks.
This San Jose team looks poised for another playoff run this spring. They are strong in goal, have a talented and mobile blueline and they’re deep up front.
They sit second in their division coming into tonight’s game and are a well-rested group, with their last game coming last Friday. They haven’t been scoring a ton of goals (22nd in the NHL) but no team has done a better job of keeping the puck out of their net so far this season. They also sit 2nd in the league allowing just 26.2 shots per game.
Certainly a tough test for the Ottawa offence.
Worth noting that Bobby Ryan was taken off the IR today so that could be a sign he’s ready. Boucher spoke with the media yesterday and made it sound as though Marc Methot was a long shot for this one. We know Curtis Lazar is out though so it seems like there will be at least one change. We’ll have to wait till the morning skate to confirm this line up.
Hoffman-Brassard-Stone
Dzingel-Turris-Ryan
Smith-Pageau-Pyatt
Robinson-Kelly-Neil
Englund-Karlsson
Phaneuf-Ceci
Borowiecki-Wideman
Mike Condon gets the start in goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 10:30 PM.
Rest up, Sens fans.
