Heading into this week, it was pretty clear that if the Senators were going to have any chance at crawling back into the playoff race, they were going to need to start stringing wins together.
And not just one or two. It’s going to take like a six or seven game winning streak for Ottawa to really get back in contention.
They’ve dug themselves a fairly substantial hole and the only way to get back in it is to win and win often. It’s especially important that they win the games against the teams they are chasing.
Like for example- the Detroit Red Wings.
The Wings are currently sitting in third place in the Atlantic, seven points clear of the Sens. That’s a huge cushion. But with a regulation win tonight, they could close that gap to just five points. Seven seems ridiculous. Five points and they are within striking distance. The Wings roll into Ottawa having lost two straight at the hands of the Islanders and Penguins. They’ve also given up 15 goals in their last three games.
Biggest game of the year? Biggest game of the year.
Mark Borowiecki was back on the ice with the team this morning and will play. Shane Prince sits another game up front. Here’s how Dave Cameron has his team lined up for the morning skate.
Hoffman-Turris-Stone
Dzingel-Zibanejad-Ryan
Smith-Pageau-Neil
Paul-Lazar-Chiasson
Methot-Karlsson
Phaneuf-Ceci
Wiercioch-Borowiecki
Craig Anderson gets the start in the Ottawa goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM.
-This is always a good time of year to watch scouting patterns around the league. A lot of the time it means nothing at all but on rare occasions, it can provide a glimpse into some potential trade partners leading up to the deadline. Which is why it was interesting to learn that for the second straight game, the Senators had scouts watching the St. Louis Blues. And at the same time, the Blues had planned to have a couple scouts here the other night when the Sabres came to town. Could be something, could be nothing at all. For what it’s worth, I heard the Blues were at least somewhat interested in Patrick Wiercioch.
