The month of December did not exactly get off to the best start.
The Senators came out flat in their first game back on Canadian Tire Centre ice. The loss to the Philadelphia Flyers was disappointing but the real bad news came in the form of a couple key injuries. Milan Michalek took a shot in the hand and is expected to miss a couple weeks. Mika Zibanejad was hit in the head by a Radko Gudas elbow/forearm and left the ice in a bit of a daze. His injury doesn’t seem overly serious but is enough to keep him out of the lineup for at least one game.
Nope, not exactly a dream start to final month of 2015.
And it doesn’t get any easier tonight when Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and the rest of the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks roll into town.
While the Hawks haven’t exactly been world-beaters in the early going, their 13-9-3 record is good enough for the second wild card spot in the West. They’ve been pretty good on home ice but struggled a little bit on the road, going 5-6-2 through 13 games. Their offence is led by the red-hot Patrick Kane, who sits three points clear of Jamie Benn for the league scoring lead. Kane comes into this one with points in 20 straight games.
From the Senators perspective, the challenge will be piecing together a competitive line up considering the loss of two top 9 forwards. Sounds like the plan is to dress seven defenceman which will leave Ottawa one forward short up front. They’ll lean heavily on three lines and then rotate in the two extras throughout the night. Here’s how Dave Cameron has his team lined up at the morning skate.
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Craig Anderson makes another start in the Ottawa goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM.
-In our day to day discussion about what’s happening on the ice with the Ottawa Senators, it’s pretty easy to forget about the great things these players and this organization continue to do away from the rink. The Senators annual visit to CHEO is such a great example of the commitment the organization has made to give back to the community. Off-ice activities like this are part of the job description for a pro athlete but I’ve always felt that the Senators go above and beyond in this regard. And as you can see from the video below, it really does make a difference. Hats off to the entire organization for their continued efforts in our community.
