If you thought the month of December was tough, have a look at January.
There’s really no such thing as an easy schedule in today’s NHL and certainly not for a bubble team like the Senators but a glance ahead at the next few weeks shows what appears to be a pretty daunting stretch. After a tough back to back (Chicago then St. Louis), they return home for games against the red-hot Panthers and the Bruins. Then road games in Washington, Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose.
The Senators have been stumbling a little bit lately and will have to clean things up in a hurry if they want to remain in the mix through the month of January. First up is a Sunday night showdown against Jonathan Toews and the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Heading into this season this Chicago team was once again considered a contender to win it all. They are talented up front, skilled on the back end and are one of the most well-coached teams in the league. They weren’t exactly red-hot to start the season but seem to be rounding into form the last little while. They’ve won seven of their last ten and have an impressive 14-5-1 record on home ice. Their power play is ranked 3rd, their penalty kill 10th and they sit 8th in shots per game.
Basically what I’m trying to tell you is the Chicago Blackhawks are really good.
Things aren’t quite so rosy for the Senators. They’ve lost back to back games and have won just three times in their last ten. And even though they’ve struggled lately, they’re still right in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference playoff race. This team is in desperate need of a spark and this back to back against tough Western opponents may be exactly what they need.
Dave Cameron will go with the same line up as the other night against New Jersey. That means Dave Dziurzynski and Jared Cowen both end up as healthy scratches. Here’s how the Coach had his team lined up at the morning skate.
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Smith-Turris-Stone
McCormick-Pageau-Chiasson
Prince-Lazar-Neil
Claesson-Karlsson
Methot-Wideman
Wiercioch-Borowiecki
Craig Anderson gets the start in the Ottawa goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM.
-Interesting development in Tampa Bay earlier today as word has surfaced that young forward Jonathan Drouin has requested a trade from the Lightning. It has always been a seemingly tenses relationship between Drouin and the Bolts and obviously it’s reached the point where Drouin no longer feels like it’s a fit. The Senators seem to have moved away from the whole top six forward thing but you would think they at least make a call to see what it would take.
