After all the hype surrounding this past weekend’s NHL 100 Classic and the circus-like atmosphere created by the always obnoxious Eugene Melnyk, it will be tough to shift back to just plain ol’ regular season hockey.
The Ottawa Senators were in a free-fall for most of November and the early part of December but finally seem to be showing signs of life in their last few games. They picked up a well-deserved victory over the New York Rangers last week and probably played their most complete games in well over a month on the outdoor rink at TD Place.
Now they look to keep that rolling as they host the Minnesota Wild in front of what is expected to be a sparse crowd at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Minnesota comes into tonight with a 17-13-3 record which remarkably has them outside of a playoff position in the Western Conference. They have been dominant on home ice, putting up a 10-4-2 record but they have struggled on the road, winning just 7 times in 17 tries. They roll into Ottawa having lost their last two games to the Oilers and the Blackhawks.
For the Senators, the key will be finding a way to build off the momentum gained in their last two games. They looked like a completely different team on Saturday night and for the first time all season, seemed to be regaining that stifling neutral zone play that was a hallmark of this team last season.
Gabriel Dumont is out tonight and Nick Paul will take his spot in the line up. Ben Harpur was called up yesterday but is scratched for tonight.
Ryan-Duchene-Stone
Dzingel-Brassard-Hoffman
Smith-Pageau-Pyatt
Burrows-Thompson-Paul
Oduya-Karlsson
Phaneuf-Ceci
Claesson-Chabot
Craig Anderson gets the start in goal for Ottawa. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM.
-With the NHL Holiday Trade Freeze set for today, it sounds like Pierre Dorion is doing a little bit of last-minute shopping (or selling?). Wish I could be excited about the possibility of a trade right now but based on everything we’ve heard in the rumour mill and some of the grandstanding from Melnyk over the weekend, it’s hard to imagine this trade would be anything other than cost-cutting. And frankly, that makes me a little bit nervous, especially when names like Mike Hoffman and Jean Gabriel Pageau are being kicked around. Please don’t do it, Pierre.
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|---|---|---|
| Record | 17-13-3 (37 pts) | 11-13-7 (29 pts) |
| Goals For | 2.79 (T-19th) | 2.71 (25th) |
| Goals Against | 2.85 (T-13th) | 3.19 (T-24th) |
| Power Play | 20.2% (13th) | 14.9% (27th) |
| Penalty Kill | 84.5% (3rd) | 77.3% (29th) |
| Shots For/Shots Against | 28.6 (31st) 32.3 (22nd) |
30.6 (22nd) 30.8 (10th) |
| Leading Scorers | Staal- 28 pts Zucker- 25 pts Granlund- 21 pts |
Stone- 28 pts Hoffman- 22 pts Karlsson- 20 pts |
| Team Shooting % | 9.75% (11th) | 8.85% (19th) |
| Starting Goalie | Alex Stalock 5-5-1 2.69 GAA, .917 sv% |
Craig Anderson 9-10-3 2.92 GAA, .901 sv% |
