There has been a lot of talk about the importance of getting off to a good start this year.
It’s a thing all teams say but for the Ottawa Senators, it takes on a little added significance. This team has learned the hard way that while you can’t make the playoffs in October and November, you can certainly play your way out of them. So not only do these early games likely have an impact on job security for some key members of the Front Office but they may ultimately determine whether or not this team has a shot at the dance come April.
And that’s why it was so encouraging to see the Senators score two big wins on home ice over the weekend. They’ll look to keep that rolling when they play host to Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
Some big news on the lineup front as Josh Norris is expected to make his long-awaited return for the Senators. Based on what we saw at the morning skate, he’ll start on a line with Kubalik and Batherson and take his rightful spot on the team’s top power play unit.
Zack MacEwen is the odd man out up front.
Here’s how the Senators are expected to line up for this one.
Tkachuk-Stützle-Giroux
Joseph-Greig-Tarasenko
Kubalik-Norris-Batherson
Kelly-Chartier-Kastelic
Chychrun-Chabot
Sanderson-Zub
Brannstrom Hamonic
Anton Forsberg gets the start in goal for Ottawa.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM. The bad news is the game is available on Sportsnet which means our collective night has been ruined. The good news is the game is in town so you can just head on down to the rink and catch this one in person. TSN1200 has the radio feed. If shady internet streaming sites are more your speed, keep an eye on the comment section below.
Made it this far into the Game Day post and still not sure who the hell is playing tonight and what you can expect? Well that’s on you, I’m afraid. But also, I’ve crafted this table just for you and I think I’ll call it…the HEAD2HEAD table.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 1-1-0 (2 pts) | 2-1-0 (4 pts) |
| Goals For | 1.00 (T-30th) | 4.33 (T-2nd) |
| Goals Against | 3.00 (T-14th) | 3.00 (T-14th) |
| Power Play | 0.0% (T-28th) | 27.3% (T-8th) |
| Penalty Kill | 62.5% (22nd) | 85.7% (5th) |
| Shots For | 21.0 (31st) | 33.0 (T-10th) |
| Shots Against | 37.5 (31st) | 29.0 (T-10th) |
| Leading Scorers | Phillips – 2 pts Carlson – 1 pt McMichael – 1 pt Milano – 1 pt |
Tkachuk – 5 pts Chychrun – 4 pts Tarasenko – 4 pts Giroux – 3 pts Stützle – 3 pts |
| Starting Goalie | TBD | Anton Forsberg 1-0-0 2.00 GAA, .905 sv% |
