If it’s starting to feel a little bit like the season has slipped into an endless void of nothingness where everything means nothing and time seems to be standing still, well that’s because it has.
The Ottawa Senators have lost five straight. They have two regulation wins in their last 17 hockey games. Like, two wins in 2020. The team that found a way to prove the experts wrong in the early going through good ol’ fashion hard work is mostly gone and have been replaced by a pretty bad hockey team.
Everything is going according to plan.
Heading into tonight’s action, the Senators sit comfortably in 29th overall. Only the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings have been worse and it’s going to be tough to catch either of them even with the one win a month pace.
Things are going just as swimmingly for our proxy tank based out of California. The San Jose Sharks lost again last night and remain in 27th overall. And with a little luck, they could drop another spot later this evening.
Better days are head for the Sens but first, we must get through the 27 games left on the schedule.
The Ottawa Senators hit the road to visit Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche.
The Senators will hold an optional skate this morning in Colorado and likely another one later in the evening. A best guess at the line up based on yesterday’s practice alignment.
Tkachuk-Pageau-C.Brown
Namestnikov-Tierney-Batherson
Paul-Anisimov-Duclair
Ennis-White-Boedker/Chlapik
Chabot-DeMelo
Reilly-Zaitsev
Hainsey-Goloubef
DJ Smith is doing this new thing where he doesn’t name a starting goalie until the last possible moment. Getting in the head of the other team, ya know. Gotta keep yourself busy, I guess. Feels like Marcus Hogberg is the likely starter though.
Puck drop isn’t till 9:00 PM but don’t worry- the game will still be over by 10.
The HEAD2HEAD table is ready to go. On time, on budget.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 18-26-11 (47 pts) | 32-16-6 (70 pts) |
| Goals For | 2.67 (25th) | 3.65 (1st) |
| Goals Against | 3.33 (29th) | 2.83 (10th) |
| Power Play | 14.8% (30th) | 19.4% (T-17th) |
| Penalty Kill | 78.9% (20th) | 78.9% (21st) |
| Shots For | 29.9 (25th) | 32.8 (7th) |
| Shots Against | 33.6 (29th) | 31.8 (20th) |
| Leading Scorers | Duclair- 34 pts Pageau- 34 pts Brown- 34 pts |
MacKinnon- 76 pts Makar- 42 pts Burakovsky- 40 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Marcus Hogberg 2-4-7 2.98 GAA, .910 sv% |
Philipp Grubauer 17-11-4 2.72 GAA, .912 sv% |
