Two preseason games down, five more to go.
Then the games can start for real.
Next up, a visit to the Bell Centre in Montreal to take on the Montreal Canadiens.
With the camp now officially divided into two separate groups, the pace has picked up a little bit and in turn, so too has the pressure on the players sitting on the roster bubble.
The depth chart was talked about at length during the off-season but with the injury to MacArthur, an additional forward spot is suddenly available. Matt Puempel, Ryan Dzingel and Nick Paul are all battling for that spot. Tom Pyatt seems like a lock to make the team but in what role remains undecided.
So with the clock ticking and the start of the season only a couple weeks away, line combinations and opportunities to play wit top players matter.
And no player is getting a better opportunity tonight than Matt Puempel. He has appeared in every preseason game thus far and it’s clear the organization wants to give him a good chance at a roster spot. He probably hasn’t done enough to this point but a chance to play with Derick Brassard and Bobby Ryan could be just what he needs.
Meanwhile tonight’s opposition, the Montreal Canadiens, continue to work on some roster issues of their own. They made a couple big changes during the off-season but it’s not clear if they actually improved their team. Sports Betting Dime has the Canadiens at like 17 to 1 to win it all this year. Considering the changes they made and the look of that blueline, that seems fairly optimistic.
Here’s how the Senators are expected to line up for this one.
Hoffman-Turris-Varone
Puempel-Brassard-Ryan
Dzingel-Pageau-Pyatt
Paul-Kelly-Blunden
No defence pairings announced but it will be some combination of Cody Ceci, Thomas Chabot, Chris Wideman, Mark Borowiecki, Matt Bartkowski, Freddy Claesson and Mike Kostka. One of those seven guys will not dress.
Craig Anderson sits out another game as he continues to attend a personal matter. Chris Driedger, who looked solid through the Rookie Tournament and in his limited preseason action, is expected to get the start. He’ll split duties with Matt O’Connor.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM and the game is available on TSN5.
