Hockey can be a cruel game sometimes.
The Ottawa Senators racked up points in 16 of 17 games, had won seven straight before a loss to the Rangers and miraculously fought their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. And then with one third period collapse against the hated Leafs, it seemed like all that good will gained during the winning streak went out the window. Probably not the ideal response from the fan base but that’s the reality of the situation the Senators find themselves in.
That was a winnable hockey game and they let it slip away. The good news is they have a chance to put that game behind them this evening at the Canadian Tire Centre.
With 8 games left in their season, you can expect to hear this a few times in the next couple weeks but this is certainly the biggest game of Ottawa’s season to date. They have to find a way to bounce back against a desperate Florida Panthers team.
At the same time, fans will be keeping an eye on the out of town scoreboard. The Boston Bruins are on the road in Carolina and obviously a favour from the Hurricanes would be a huge boost to Ottawa’s chances. The Washington Capitals play an afternoon game against the New York Rangers. The Capitals are four points up on Ottawa but have played one more game. The Sens and Caps play each other next weekend.
No morning skate for the Senators today so we’ll have to wait until game time to see what the line up looks like. Not expecting any changes up front although I would think there’s at least a chance Jared Cowen draws back in on the blueline. The pairing of Eric Gryba and Mark Borowiecki looked pretty rough last night.
MacArthur-Turris-Stone
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Condra-Pageau-Lazar
Smith-Legwand-Chiasson
Methot-Karlsson
Wiercioch-Ceci
Borowiecki-Gryba
The fact that Andrew Hammond wasn’t available to back up last night seems to indicate an obvious decision in goal. Craig Anderson looked sharp in the first 40 minutes last night and likely starts again tonight. Dave Cameron will speak to the media at 2:30 PM to confirm any line up changes.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 5:00 PM.
Go. Sens. Go.
