Coming off one of their worst losses of the season and after falling behind 2-0 against a powerful Bruins squad, it looked like the Senators were in serious trouble. But rather than pack it in, the Ottawa Senators battled back for a rather pesky 4-2 win on home ice. Now they look to make it two in a row when they take on Nick Foligno and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It’s the final game of a five game homestand that aside from the let down against the Flyers, has actually been a pretty good one for the Senators. A win would give them a 4-1 record over the five game stretch. After this afternoon’s tilt with the Jackets, the Senators visit the Flyers on Tuesday, back home to take on the Wild on Wednesday before closing out the week with games in Detroit and Carolina on Saturday and Sunday.
These two teams met just twelve days ago with the Senators scoring a 4-1 victory. Columbus is in a bit of a tailspin as of late, having won just once in their last nine games- a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders last Saturday. They are without one of their top players in Marian Gaborik as he’s sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.
Bobby Ryan, who was the victim of a headshot from Dennis Seidenberg on Friday night, did practice with the team yesterday afternoon. The team was calling him questionable with neck and back stiffness. He is expected to play but we’ll have to wait to hear from Paul MacLean to know for sure. There is also a chance Erik Condra is ready to return for Ottawa.
(UPDATE 10:49 AM)- Bobby Ryan will play. Erik Condra draws in for Matt Kassian.
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Craig Anderson gets the start in the Ottawa goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 1:00 PM at the Canadian Tire Centre with plenty of tickets still up for grabs.
The Daily Chirp- Something to keep an eye on- The Edmonton Oilers have had a scout in attendance at the Canadian Tire Centre for the last three games. Scouts doesn’t always indicate trade talks but it’s worth noting. The two teams seem like they might be a good match for a trade of some kind. Both Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie have mentioned that Ottawa is looking for a top six guy to play alongside Spezza. In Edmonton, you’d have to think it’s only a matter of time before they move Ales Hemsky. Ottawa was rumoured to have an interest in Hemsky during this past off season.
