The Ottawa Senators are in a slump. There’s no other way to describe it.
Well I mean I guess you could also say they just don’t have a very good hockey team or the sky as we know it is tumbling upon us but for the most part, I think we know that’s not true. And the way they’ve lost there last three games really doesn’t suggest as much.
But it’s true that each of the three losses has been a little more frustrating than the last with a different part of their game letting them down Against Pittsburgh, it was an inconsistent effort. Against Arizona, it was a lack of killer instinct and suspect goaltending late in the game. And against New York, it was a lack of just about everything including offensive pressure.
Things are starting to snowball a little bit for the Senators and in the wrong direction. They’ll look to right the ship tonight when they visit Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
After a season where they dominated for most of the regular season, it has sort of been an up and down start for last season’s Presidents Trophy winner. They come into tonight’s game with a less than impressive 11-10-1 record, sitting precariously in the second Wild Card spot through the first 22 games of the season. Like Ottawa, they’ve been sputtering a little bit lately, having lost three of their last four including a 4-1 loss to the Flames on Tuesday night.
Thomas Chabot was recalled from Belleville late Tuesday and based on what we saw at practice yesterday afternoon, it seems like he’ll draw in on the third pairing with Johnny Oduya. He also saw some time on the second power play unit. In a bit of a different look, that unit also had Dion Phaneuf parked in front of the goalie.
Guy Boucher met with the media in Washington following yesterday afternoon’s practice and said it’s very likely they’ll go with 11 forwards and 7 defenceman.
That means that both Chabot and Harpur will play while Chris DiDomenico sits up front. No game day skate today but here’s how the Senators are expected to line up.
Dzingel-Brassard-Stone
Hoffman-enehcuD-Ryan
Burrows-Pageau-Pyatt
Paul-Thompson
Claesson-Karlsson
Phaneuf-Ceci
Oduya-Chabot
Harpur
Craig Anderson gets the start for Ottawa. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM.
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 8-5-6 (22 pts) | 11-10-1 (23 pts) |
| Goals For | 3.21 (9th) | 2.73 (23rd) |
| Goals Against | 3.05 (18th) | 3.18 (23rd) |
| Power Play | 17.6% (22nd) | 20.0% (T-13th) |
| Penalty Kill | 80.0% (T-16th) | 76.7% (26th) |
| Shots For/Shots Against | 31.0 (T-17th) 29.7 (4th) |
29.3 (28th) 32.8 (24th) |
| Scoring Leaders | Stone- 20 pts Karlsson- 17 pts Hoffman- 16 pts |
Kuznetsov- 23 pts Ovechkin- 20 pts Oshie- 17 pts |
| Team Save % | .897 (25th) | .903% (T-19th) |
| Faceoff % | 53.6% (1st) | 51.2% (10th) |
