Game Day. GAME DAY. GAME DAY!
That’s right ladies and gentleman, today is another Ottawa Senators’ game day. So gather round while your old pal SensChirp gives you the 411 on this afternoon’s tilt between the Los Angeles Kings and the Ottawa Senators.
So first things first, apparently Ilya Kovalchuk is back in the NHL and according to the roster published on the Kings website, he plays for the Los Angeles Kings. So keep that in mind. According to the results of their games to this point, the Kings are off to a decent start this season, putting up a 2-1-0 record. Although their last win was against the Montreal Canadiens which is basically like half a win.
And uhh that’s everything I know about the LA Kings. Except that Dion Phaneuf makes his return to Ottawa this afternoon.
Phaneuf, who arrived in Ottawa in a surprising trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was mostly a polarizing player during his time with the Senators. While he played just 154 games in a Sens jersey, his impact on the locker room was significant. He was a huge part of the team’s leadership group and a key piece of the team that went all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
A pro from the moment he arrived in Ottawa till the time he was shipped out to Los Angeles in the middle of a game last year, Phaneuf should receive a warm welcome from those in attendance today.
Marian Gaborik may watch the game on television. Depends what else he has going on this afternoon.
And while we’re on the topic of Senators/Kings, how about a quick walk down memory lane to one of the most underrated line brawls in Senators history? Fighting isn’t a big part of today’s game but it’s certainly part of the history of the sport and moments like this one have actually been pretty common in Sens history.
Remember this?
Okay, okay. Back to the future.
The Senators will have to do a little bit of a line up shuffling ahead of this one. Yesterday, Cody Ceci, Ryan Dzingel and Alex Formenton all landed on the injured reserve list, meaning they’ll be out of the line up for at least the next seven days. Nick Paul and Christian Jaros have been called up to take their place.
Based on yesterday’s practice and Boucher’s comments afterwards, it sounds like he’s toying with the idea of going with 11 forwards and 7 defenceman. Which is a FUCKING OUTRAGE. Wait, no. It’s sort of reasonable considering the circumstances.
No morning skate today with the early start so a best guess at the line up for now.
Boedker-Duchene-White
Tkachuk-Smith-Stone
Paajarvi-Tierney-Ryan
Pyatt-Carey
Chabot-DeMelo
Borowiecki-Wideman
Lajoie-Jaros
Harpur
Craig “Don’t call me Craigothy” Anderson gets the start for the Senators. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 2:00 PM so it’s a fine opportunity to get delightfully day drunk.
Game is broadcasted on TSN 5 and I’ve heard a rumour that those with a functioning internet connection may also be able to access a pixelated version of this afternoon’s proceedings. Huh.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 2-1-1 (5 pts) | 1-2-1 (3 pts) |
| Goals For | 2.50 (T-19th) | 3.75 (T-11th) |
| Goals Against | 1.75 (4th) | 5.0 (31st) |
| Power Play | 0.0% (T-26th) | 26.7% (T-8th) |
| Penalty Kill | 78.6% (17th) | 71.4& (T-23rd) |
| Shots For | 23.0 (29th) | 28.8 (22nd) |
| Shots Against | 37.5 (30th) | 38.8 (31st) |
| Leading Scorers | Iaffalo- 4 pts Toffoli- 4 pts Kovalchuk- 3 pts |
Chabot- 6 pts Tierney- 6 pts Lajoie- 5 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Jack Campbell 1.35 GAA .966 sv% |
Craig Anderson 4.36 GAA .895 sv% |
