On the heels of an impressive win over one of the top teams from the Western Conference, the Ottawa Senators hit the road again to take on an Eastern Conference powerhouse.
After tonight, the Sens come back home to take on the San Jose Sharks on Friday night then back on the road for two more games in Florida. It’s sort of a weird bit of scheduling but they’ll get a full four days off to rest heading into the holiday break. With the Eastern Conference as tight as it is, the Senators will want to bank as many points as possible before that break.
First up- Alex Ovechkin and the high-flying Washington Capitals.
The Capitals have probably been one of the league’s most consistent teams through the first few months of the season. They have an impressive 21-6-2 record, which has them sitting atop the Eastern Conference. They’ve gone 8-1-1 in their last ten games and have been especially tough on home ice, posting an 11-3-1 record through 15 games.
While in the last few years the Capitals have been a team usually associated with high-octane offence, their early success has a lot to do with a commitment to defence and quality goaltending. They allow just 2.17 goals per game and have been getting light out goaltending from Braden Holtby, who has to be considered the front runner for the Vezina Trophy at this point. His .933 sv% and 1.87 GAA are both near the top of the league.
Long story short, the Senators will have to be at their absolute best to come away with a win in this one.
Dave Cameron spoke to the media yesterday following practice and suggested that there would be no changes to the Ottawa line up. Sort of surprising considering the the combinations at practice suggested Shane Prince might be drawing back in on the 4th line. We shall see. Will pass along details from the morning skate when they become available. For now, we’ll go with these.
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Smith-Turris-Stone
Dziurzynski-Pageau-Chiasson
Borowiecki-Lazar-Neil
Methot-Karlsson
Wiercioch-Ceci
Cowen-Wideman
There will be at least one change to the Ottawa line up as Andrew Hammond return to the net after 15 straight starts by Craig Anderson. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM.
-No game for the Senators yesterday but there certainly was plenty of news on the LeBreton Flats front. Early in the day, we learned that only two groups had submitted proposals to the National Capital Commission (NCC) for the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats. Then in a strange twist, we learned that BOTH of those proposals include an NHL-calibre rink. It was a development that had most media and fans scratching their heads a little bit trying to figure out exactly what it means. It’s safe to assume it’s great news for the idea of a downtown rink but maybe not such great news for the Ottawa Senators. This process is going to be fascinating to watch especially once both parties are allowed to openly discuss the proposals. We’ll learn more about each of the bids during the public consultations planned for January 26th and 27th.
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Hyperline Presents- “Guess the Game”- WE HAVE A WINNER!
Well so much for the week of agony I planned to put everyone through.
Maybe the clues were a little too obvious or perhaps you all have more time on your hands than I realized. Late yesterday afternoon, our lucky winner guessed the game I was thinking of- Flames vs. Senators back on December 30, 2011. The Sens won 4-3 in overtime that night thanks to this goal by Daniel Alfredsson, his 400th in the NHL.
Thanks to everyone for playing along and thanks again to our friends at Hyperline for putting up this great prize!
Hope to have another similar contest with them early in the New Year. Follow them on Twitter and on Facebook for details.
