As we’ve all learned the hard way over the past few days, there is no such thing as “comfortable” in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
After a disappointing loss to the Montreal Canadiens followed by a humbling loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the Ottawa Senators got a much-needed wakeup call. And maybe Sens fans did too. With just 14 games left on the schedule, there’s still a ton of work to do.
It has to start in the Swamp. The Senators visit the Devils on Saturday night in New Jersey.
Considering the way the last two games went and the standings and the opportunity that lies ahead, it’s pretty safe to label this one as THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR. Until the next one.
Despite having the “easiest” remaining schedule, this next stretch actually looks sufficiently daunting for the Senators. They’ll play four of their next five games on the road, including stops in New Jersey, Buffalo, Detroit before returning home to host Columbus next Saturday. Then they go to Pittsburgh on Sunday. No powerhouses in there obviously but still a weird combination of teams in the mix or playing loose. At this point, I don’t know what an “easy” game would even look like.
Could be some shuffling the lineup ahead of this one. Nick Jensen was back on the ice for practice yesterday, while Artem Zub was given the day off. The team is hoping Jensen can play but we’ll find out later this AM. A new look in the forward lines too.
We’ll confirm this later this morning.
Tkachuk-Stützle -Zetterlund
Perron-Cozens-Batherson
Greig-Pinto-Giroux
Highmore-Gaudette-Amadio
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Matinpalo
No word on a starting goalie yet.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 PM in New Jersey. The game is on Sportsnet One and on the radio at TSN1200. Streams will be shared in the comment section closer to game time.
I cannot stress this last part enough…
GO SENS GO
