There’s no sugar-coating it folks.
If the Ottawa Senators are going to continue their ascent up the Eastern Conference standings, these weekend games against the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres are pretty close to the must-win variety.
One of the most daunting elements of the hole the Senators find themselves in right now is the number of teams they have to pass along the way. And that’s why it’s critically important that they take care of business when they go head-to-head with the teams they are chasing.
Like for example, tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.
It’s the BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR.
And it ain’t close.
Well until tomorrow night.
One Zub-related change to the Ottawa lineup as Artem Zub returns for the first time in nearly a month. He’ll take his regular spot beside Thomas Chabot on the team’s top pairing. Dillon Heatherington was returned to Belleville yesterday to make room on the blueline. No changes expected up front.
The Senators will not hold a morning skate today in Detroit but here’s how DJ Smith had ’em lined up at practice yesterday.
Tkachuk-Stützle-Giroux
DeBrincat-Pinto-Batherson
Kelly-Gambrell-Lucchini
Brassard-Kastelic-Watson
Chabot-Zub
Sanderson-Hamonic
Holden-Bernard-Docker
No word on a starting goalie yet but safe to assume Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg split the starts on this back to back. Expecting Anton Forsberg to get the nod today in Detroit. Or Tom Barrasso. Just don’t expect him to stop the ones that are going wide.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM which means you’ll have plenty of time to watch the game and inevitably fall asleep well before the clock strikes midnight. The game is available on Sportsnet which means we’ll get real time analysis of what this Sens/Red Wings match-up means for the Toronto Maple Leafs. TSN1200 has the radio call and our old buddy Bort is serving up a wide variety of illegal internet streams.
And now, the only countdown that matters- the countdown to the HEAD2HEAD table.
10…
9…
8…
7…
Ah to hell with it. Here it is.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 16-16-3 (35 pts) | 15-12-7 (37 pts) |
| Goals For | 3.03 (23rd) | 3.09 (18th) |
| Goals Against | 3.17 (17th) | 3.32 (18th) |
| Power Play | 28.0% (3rd) | 21.1% (19th) |
| Penalty Kill | 80.6% (11th) | 76.7% (19th) |
| Shots For | 33.5 (6th) | 29.7 (24th) |
| Shots Against | 32.7 (23rd) | 31.9 (19th) |
| Leading Scorers | Tkachuk- 37 pts DeBrincat- 35 pts Batherson- 34 pts Giroux- 31 pts Stützle- 30 pts |
Larkin- 32 pts Kubalik- 28 pts Perron- 27 pts Hronek- 26 pts Copp- 20 pts |
| Starting Goalie | TBD | TBD |
