The Ottawa Senators gave the Vegas Golden Knights everything they could handle on Thursday night.
It’s become a recurring theme early in this regular season actually. The Senators pushed the defending Stanley Cup Champions to the limit, they dominated the top team in the Eastern Conference in the Tampa Bay Lightning and they took the Vegas Golden Knights all the way to a shootout.
Competitive. Entertaining. But still struggling to find their way out of the league’s basement. Really, it’s a tanker’s dream.
The Senators continue their three-game Western swing with a stop in Arizona on Saturday night.
This is a fascinating match-up. In one corner, you have a team with dwindling fan support that is desperate for stable ownership and that for years, has been propped up by the league despite obvious signs that there may be serious concerns with the market.
In the other corner, you have the Arizona Coyotes.
For the 8th consecutive season, this is the year the Coyotes finally break through. Their General Manager, Jon-E Shakka,thinks he finally has all the pieces in place and according to the algorithm he uses to operate the team, this group will soon contend for the Stanley Cup.
The Coyotes stumbled a bit early in the season but have won a couple games in a row, including a convincing win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Ottawa’s division-title odds are between +25000 and +30000, depending on the sportsbook. No other team is longer than +10000. The Sens may not be the worst team in the league, as many predicted as the Devils have a solid claim to that label. But with just three points in six games, they’re already 10 points off the pace in the Atlantic. This roster doesn’t have the depth or experience to make Ottawa a value play even at extremely long odds.
Huh.
Here’s how the Senators are expected to line up for this one.
Tkachuk-White-Namestnikov
Ennis-Tierney-Brown
Paul-Pageau-Duclair
Ryan-Anisimov-Sabourin
Chabot-Zaitsev
Brannstrom-Hainsey
Borowiecki-DeMelo
Anders Nilsson is still recovering from the 384 shots he stopped the other night so Craig Anderson gets the start vs the Yotes.
This really seemed like a game that was destined to start at 10:00 PM and be broadcast on the Life Network but I made a few calls and now the game starts at 7:00 PM and can be seen on Sportsnet 360.
Saturday is saved!
And now, for my next trick, the HEAD2HEAD table! Featuring all the information you could possibly want to know about the Ottawa Senators and the Arizona Coyotes.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 1-4-1 (3 pts) | 3-2-1 (7 pts) |
| Goals For | 2.33 (28th) | 2.67 (23rd) |
| Goals Against | 3.50 (T-23rd) | 1.83 (2nd) |
| Power Play | 0.0% (31st) | 29.4% (7th) |
| Penalty Kill | 80.0% (16th) | 85.0% (10th) |
| Shots For | 31.0 (16th) | 33.3 (10th) |
| Shots Against | 36.5 (31st) | 31.7 (15th) |
| Leading Scorers | Pageau- 5 pts Brown- 5 pts Namestnikov- 4 pts |
Schmaltz- 7 pts Keller- 5 pts Dvorak- 4 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Craig Anderson 1-3-0 3.05 GAA, .906 sv% |
Antti Raanta 0-0-1 2.86 GAA, .906 sv% |
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