The Ottawa Senators put together another solid effort against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night but again, were not rewarded with the two points.
And while the Sens have played some better hockey under Head Coach Dave Cameron, they really aren’t in a position where they can afford to lose too many more games before the playoffs start to become a bit of a pipe dream. At some point, they need to start stringing some wins together because if they don’t, fans will start to look down in the standings instead of up.
Right now, Ottawa sits 7 points back of the final playoff spot in the East. And at the same time, they’re just four points clear of tonight’s opponent- the Buffalo Sabres. This will be the earliest I’ve used this term but it’s safe to say that if this team still has playoff aspirations, tonight’s game against the Sabres is a must-win.
The Sabres were a bit of a laughing stock early in this season and some experts were already penciling Connor McDavid into their line up for next season. But thanks to some solid goaltending from Jhonas Enroth, the Sabres have turned things around a little bit to the point where they can’t be taken lightly. Ottawa found that out earlier this month too when they lost to the Sabres in a shootout.
The Senators are on the ice for their morning skate at 10:30 AM this morning (it’s open to the public, by the way).
No changes expected to the forward group. On defence, it looks like Chris Phillips will take the place of Patrick Wiercioch.
MacArthur-Turris-Stone
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Michalek-Pageau-Chiasson
Greening-Legwand-Condra
Borowiecki-Karlsson
Cowen-Ceci
Phillips-Gryba
Robin Lehner has been battling a bit of the flu lately so I would expect Craig Anderson to get the start for Ottawa.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM.
-Seems like there have been rumours linking the Senators with the Edmonton Oilers all season. Whether it was the Oilers possibly interested in Colin Greening, the Senators discussing a deal involving David Perron or the possibility of a blockbuster between the two teams- the Sens and Oilers always seem to be linked in the rumour mill. Although lately, it seems to have cooled off a little bit. I think a few weeks ago the Oilers looked like a team that could make a panic type deal. Not anymore unfortunately.
-Other than the lingering Oiler possibility, the rumour mill seems pretty quiet for the Senators lately. Ottawa is sort of on the bubble right now and really not in a position to be adding a piece to try and make a playoff push. And if they continue to slide down the standings, they’ll have to at least consider the possibility to moving a veteran or two.
