Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages.
There are times in pro sports when you know what you’re about to see is something special. Those rare instances when the stars align just right and the game provides you with an opportunity to lay your eyes on something so unique, so unprecedented, so unbelievable that you need to pinch yourself to know that it’s not a dream.
Tonight, at the Canadian Tire Centre in rural Ottawa, we have an opportunity to be a part of one of those moments.
The Ottawa Senators host the Detroit Red Wings.
Entering the season, the Senators were projected to be a bottom-feeder. Not just in the bottom part of the standings but the rock-bottom. Dead last. Nobody was going to challenge this team for 31st.
Enter, the Detroit Red Wings.
The Sens think the tank is their ally. The Sens merely adopted the tank. The Red Wings were born in it, molded by it.
Their roster is almost entirely comprised of season-ticket holders and Red Wings alumni. Kirk Maltby leads the team in scoring. Goals are frowned upon though and saves are discouraged. This is their home jersey.
Their goalie doesn’t drive the zamboni, he repairs the damn thing. In 37% of their games this season, they simply did not show up. And I don’t mean they put in a bad effort, they just weren’t there. Not even at the rink.
Heading into to tonight’s clash, the Red Wings sit a jaw-dropping 22 points back of the Ottawa Senators. Think about that for a moment. Think how unpleasant this season has been and then imagine it was 22 points worse.
Yes, tonight we have a rare opportunity to see true excellence. Peak performance.
Colin White and Anthony Duclair both skated yesterday but neither are expected to play tonight. We’ll confirm the line up later this morning.
Tkachuk-Norris-Ryan
Balcers-Tierney-Brown
Paul-Anisimov-Hawryluk
Boedker-Peca-Sabourin
Chabot-Hainsey
Reilly-Zaitsev
Englund-Jaros
No word on a starting goalie yet but would expect they go back to Marcus Hogberg.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM yet the Senators somehow already have a 2-0 lead. The game, which is televised for some reason, is available on Sportsnet One and TVA2. If you don’t have those channels, consider yourself lucky.
And now, a closer look at tonight’s match-up. Viewer discretion is advised.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 15-47-4 (34 pts) | 22-31-12 (56 pts) |
| Goals For | 1.97 (31st) | 2.68 (T-24th) |
| Goals Against | 3.79 (31st) | 3.32 (29th) |
| Power Play | 14.6% (31st) | 15.2% (29th) |
| Penalty Kill | 74.4% (29th) | 77.3% (25th) |
| Shots For | 27.3 (31st) | 30.4 (23rd) |
| Shots Against | 32.7 (26th) | 33.8 (29th) |
| Leading Scorers | Larkin- 46 pts Bertuzzi- 41 pts Mantha- 32 pts |
Brown- 40 pts Tkachuk- 39 pts Duclair- 37 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Jonathan Bernier 13-20-2 2.95 GAA, .906 sv% |
Marcus Hogberg 4-7-8 3.05 GAA, .909 sv% |
