That win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night helped to ease the tension a little bit.
In an otherwise ugly season it was a rare highlight for the players, for the Coaching Staff and for one night anyway, for the fan base. But it really didn’t do much to change the Senators current situation.
They pretty much need to win every game from here on out if they want to even have a chance at a playoff spot. This team accomplished a miracle last season. What they need this year is like one step beyond that. Seven points back with twelve games to go.
Up first- the Minnesota Wild.
Unlike the Senators, this Minnesota team is in the thick of a heated playoff race. They are currently clinging to the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, tied with the Colorado Avalanche. Their 32-27-10 record gives them 74 points which interestingly enough, is just two more than Ottawa has this season. While the Western Conference is full of stacked teams, there’s a pretty significant drop off after the top seven. Minnesota and Colorado are really the only two bubble teams too.
From Ottawa’s perspective, it’s mostly about finishing the season strong and perhaps, playing the role of spoiler along the way. Dave Cameron has his team on the ice for the morning skate and it seems like he’ll go with the same line up as Saturday night. That means Patrick Wiercioch misses another game with a lingering injury and Matt Puempel is a healthy scratch.
Here’s how the Senators are expected to line up for this one.
Smith-Pageau-Stone
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Chiasson
Dzingel-Gomez-Ryan
Paul-Lazar-Neil
Methot-Karlsson
Phaneuf-Ceci
Kostka-Wideman
Craig Anderson gets the start in goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM.
