Oh hello, Jason. You’re looking well.
It’s a game Jason Spezza has probably had circled on his calendar since the schedule was released.
After playing more than 700 games in an Ottawa uniform, and racking up nearly a point a game over that stretch, Spezza will play his first game against the Senators. And while the bigger game comes later this month when Spezza returns to Ottawa for the first time, tonight is obviously going to be a little strange for the former-Senator Captain.
By all accounts, Spezza has enjoyed his time in Dallas. His point totals have dropped off a little bit but he’s been a good player for the Stars and for the first time in his career, is playing more of a support role. With Stars like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Been on the roster, Spezza has stepped out of the spotlight a little bit and can instead just focus on playing hockey.
Spezza was always a target of criticism from a vocal portion of the fan base and is probably enjoying the decrease in attention.
Probably too early to declare a winner in the Spezza deal but the Senators are happy with what they got back. Alex Chiasson has had an inconsistent first season in Ottawa but Nick Paul, Alex Guptill and that 2nd round pick all have a chance to help Ottawa down the line.
And while there will be plenty of reflecting on that deal and on Spezza’s time in Ottawa, there’s also an important two points on the line tonight in Dallas. Both teams fancied themselves playoff teams at the start of the season yet both have been fairly inconsistent during the first half of the season. The Senators are eight points back and the Stars are in a six-point hole. Both teams need a win tonight.
Based on the morning skate, it doesn’t look like there will be any changes to the lineup that won in Phoenix on Saturday night although the line combinations may be shuffled a little bit. Here’s how Cameron has them lined up.
MacArthur-Turris-Chiasson
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Condra-Pageau-Lazar
Michalek-Legwand-Stone
Methot-Karlsson
Cowen-Ceci
Phillips-Gryba
Robin Lehner gets the start in the Ottawa goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 8:30 PM with the game available on TSN5 and RDS.
