The start of the 2022/2023 season has been a good reminder of what it’s like to watch a hockey team with real and legitimate expectations.
When you’re winning, like the Ottawa Senators were during the early part of that five-game homestand, everyone is behind you. This is the team we’ve been waiting for! This is a team that can make some noise this year! But when you’re losing, the temperature gets turned up. And fast. This team is going nowhere fast! We need a new system, coach and mascot!We’re dooooooooooomed!
The reality is somewhere in between those extremes. The Senators looked fantastic during that four-game winning streak. And they haven’t looked so good lately. Same coach, same “structure” but different execution. Three straight losses and some concerning trends on the ol’ shot clock, for people who care about such things.
Yea, they played three really good teams and yea, they were without their best centre and one of their best all around defenceman and SURE, they could have easily come away with points and/or a win in all three games but still, a loss is a loss.
And so, we panic.
Ryan Reynolds and the Ottawa Senators look to right the ship when they return home to host the surging Vegas Golden Knights.
Game day skate goes at 10:30 AM so we’ll find out if there are any chances in store then.
Yesterday, the team announced that Dillon Heatherington is back to Belleville which may suggest that either another defenceman is going to get called or it could suggest ZUB. ZUB is unlikely but we’ll see. Safe to assume Dylan Gambrell plays again so lets say same lineup for now.
Tkachuk-Stützle-Batherson
DeBrincat-Pinto-Giroux
Motte-Kastelic-Joseph
Kelly-Gambrell-Watson
Chabot-Brannstrom
Sanderson-Hamonic
Holden-Vestiaz
Anton Forsberg is the likely starter for the home side.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 PM. The game is available on TSN5, TSN1200 and live and in-person at the Canadian Tire Centre. Your team needs you, damn it!
And now, the HEAD2HEAD table, which is created manually by a team of statisticians before each and every game to ensure that you, the reader, has access to all the stats and rows and columns that you require.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 9-2-0 (18 pts) | 4-5-0 (8 pts) |
| Goals For | 3.18 (15th) | 3.67 (4th) |
| Goals Against | 1.73 (1st) | 3.44 (21st) |
| Power Play | 20.6% (21st) | 23.3% (13th) |
| Penalty Kill | 76.0% (22nd) | 78.4% (19th) |
| Shots For | 33.7 (9th) | 30.3 (18th) |
| Shots Against | 28.3 (6th) | 34.6 (27th) |
| Leading Scorers | Eichel- 12 pts Pietrangelo- 9 pts Stephenson- 9 pts Karlsson- 8 pts Marchessault- 8 pts |
Tkachuk- 12 pts Batherson- 11 pts DeBrincat- 8 pts Giroux- 7 pts Pinto- 7 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Logan Thomson (TBC) 5-2-0 1.73 GAA, .938 sv% |
Anton Forsberg (TBC) 3-5-0 3.18 GAA, .909 sv% |
