Game Day- Senators, Oilers Battle Again in Ottawa

SensChirp April 8, 2021 0
Game Day- Senators, Oilers Battle Again in Ottawa

Heading into this season, there was a lot of talk about the possibility for new rivalries.

Because teams would be playing an absurd number of games against the same teams, and in some instance two or more games in a row, the animosity would build. The intensity on the ice would be dialed up and it would lead to a more entertaining product on the ice.

Sure, there has been some of that. The ol’ duck and cover routine from Leon Draisaitl proved as much last night.

What I did not expect is how quickly I would learn to hate teams I had previously ignored. Go ahead and add the Edmonton Oilers to that list. Losing to the same team eight times in a row will do that, I suppose.

In fact, the very thought of watching the soulless gaze of Connor McDavid for another sixty minutes later this evening is already filling me with a surprising amount of rage.

It’s game day! Senators and Oilers one more time from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. And this time, it’s PERSONAL. For me, anyway.

No game day skate today but DJ Smith met with the media moments ago and outlined a few changes to the lineup. Erik Brannstrom, Erik Gudbranson and Mike Amadio are all in. Josh Brown, Braydon Coburn and one of the forwards will come out.

Tkachuk-Norris-Paul
Stützle-Tierney-Batherson
Dzingel-Bishop-C. Brown
Formenton-Anisimov-Dadonov
Amadio

Chabot-Zaitsev
Reilly-Zub
Brannstrom-Gudbranson

No word on a goalie yet.

Puck drop is scheduled for a more conventional 7:00 PM tonight. The game is available on TSN5, Sportsnet West, RDS, TSN1200 and blah blah blah blah nobody is even reading this part.

Here’s a closer look at how these two team’s match-up, as though the last eight games wasn’t clear enough.

HEAD2HEAD
Record 24-14-2 (50 pts) 13-23-4 (30 pts)
Goals For 3.28 (T-5th) 2.60 (24th)
Goals Against 2.85 (15th) 3.73 (31st)
Power Play 26.6% (2nd) 15.0% (26th)
Penalty Kill 78.8% (17th) 76.6% (22nd)
Shots For 30.2 (10th) 31.1 (7th)
Shots Against 30.9 (18th) 32.9 (29th)
Leading Scorers McDavid- 68 pts
Draisaitl- 61 pts
Barrie- 34 pts
RNH- 28 pts
Nurse- 28 pts
Chabot- 24 pts
Tkachuk- 24 pts
Batherson- 23 pts
Brown- 21 pts
Norris- 21 pts
Starting Goalie TBD TBD