This will come as a shock to some of you but the Ottawa Senators are not going to win every game this season.
Sure, there was a time during that most recent homestand where it looked like they were poised to reel off 80 straight victories but they fell just 76 wins short of that and instead, have dropped consecutive hockey games. Disappointing for sure but no reason to act like a wild pack of panicking hysterical man-babies. Not yet anyway. In fact, a quick look at the history of the National Hockey League suggests that no team has gone undefeated for an entire season.
The Ottawa Senators look to get back to their winning ways as they continue their Florida road trip with a stop in Tampa Bay.
The Senators will shuffle the deck a little bit after that dreadful effort against the Panthers.
Dylan Gambrell, whom I could not pick out of a lineup of random humans, draws in for the first time this season. Derick Brassard gets the night off. With Brassard sitting, Shane Pinto shifts up the depth chart into that spot on line two. Same thing for Mark Kastelic, who now gets a little extra responsibility on the team’s third line.
Also this.
Anyway, Game Day skate is scheduled for 11:30 AM in Tampa Bay but this is how DJ Smith is expected to arrange his hockey-playing humans.
Tkachuk-Stützle-Batherson
DeBrincat-Pinto-Giroux
Motte-Kastelic-Joseph
Kelly-Gambrell-Watson
Chabot-Brannstrom
Sanderson-Hamonic
Holden-Zaitsev
Anton Forsberg is the likely starter in goal for the Senators. To be confirmed following the Game Day twirl.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 PM in Tampa Bay. The game will be available for viewing (TSN5), listening (TSN1200) and stealing (the internet). Choose your own adventure.
We’ve now reached the end of today’s Game Day post. But before we go our separate ways, allow me to provide you with some high-level statistics neatly arranged in a tabular format.
It’s the HEAD2HEAD table. And it’s my gift to You.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 4-4-0 (8 pts) | 5-4-0 (10 pts) |
| Goals For | 3.75 (4th) | 3.11 (15th) |
| Goals Against | 3.38 (23rd) | 3.11 (17th) |
| Power Play | 25.9% (8th) | 23.5% (13th) |
| Penalty Kill | 75.9% (24th) | 80.6% (13th) |
| Shots For | 32.3 (15th) | 30.9 (18th) |
| Shots Against | 34.6 (26th) | 32.2 (16th) |
| Leading Scorers | Batherson- 11 pts Tkachuk- 11 pts DeBrincat- 8 pts Motte- 7 pts Pinto- 7 pts |
Kucherov- 12 pts Stamkos- 9 pts Hedman- 8 pts Point- 8 pts Sergachev- 7 pts |
| Starting Goalie | TBD | TBD |
