The month of December has had a bit of everything for the Ottawa Senators.
On paper, this month looked like it could be a make or break one for the Senators with a number of tough opponents lined up. And while they have sputtered at times, they’ve been able to keep in contention in the Eastern Conference and actually trail the division–leading Montreal Canadiens by just four points.
They have five games left this month. Four straight against Atlantic Division opponents (TB, FLA, BOS, BOS) and then the final game against one of the teams they are battling for positioning in the Eastern Conference in the New Jersey Devils. It’s a tough stretch and one that will ultimately decide whether the month of December was a success or not.
First up- Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
These two teams met back on December 10th with the Lightning cruising to a 4-1 victory. The Senators held a slight edge on the shot clock in that one but three third period goals for Tampa Bay ended up being the difference. Tampa comes into tonight’s game trailing the Sens by just four points. Obviously a huge game for both teams.
Just an optional skate for the Sens this morning so we may have to wait until a little closer to game time to find out if Dave Cameron has any changes in mind but considering the way things went on Friday night, I think it’s safe to assume they’ll roll with the same combinations for this one. Here’s how the Senators are expected to line up.
Smith-Turris-Stone
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Dziurzynski-Pageau-Chiasson
Prince-Lazar-Neil
Methot-Karlsson
Wiercioch-Ceci
Borowiecki-Wideman
Andrew Hammond is expected to get the start in the Ottawa goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 5:00 PM.
