After an ugly home ice loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, the Ottawa Senators are hoping a little bit of fresh air might do them some good.
The Ottawa Senators have travelled to the West Coast to take on the Vancouver Canucks in this year’s Heritage Classic. And while this isn’t quite as “authentic” as some of the other outdoor games played before it, the open air BC Place looks like a great venue for a hockey game. Both the Senators and Canucks were on the surface for practice yesterday and it seemed to be getting rave reviews. There hasn’t been quite the same level of hype leading up to this game but it has been building throughout the week.
For the Ottawa Senators, they really can’t afford to get caught up in the excitement surrounding today’s game. They desperately need two points and will be looking to kick off this four game West Coast swing on a positive note. After this afternoon’s game against the Canucks they head to Edmonton on Tuesday to take on the Oilers and are in Calgary the following night. They close out the road trip with a game in Winnipeg on Saturday night.
One significant line up change heading into this one as Jared Cowen as finally found his way into the press box. Cowen’s struggles have been discussed at length by the fan base this season. Paul MacLean and the rest of the coaching staff had hoped that Cowen could play through it but it’s clear that things haven’t really improved for the 6’5 defender. Perhaps a couple games watching from above will do him some good. With Cowen scratched, Patrick Wiercioch draws back in on the blueline.
Here’s how the Senators are expected to line up for the Heritage Classic.
Conacher-Spezza-Michalek
MacArthur-Turris-Condra
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Greening-Smith-Neil
Methot-Karlsson
Phillips-Ceci
Wiercioch-Gryba
Craig Anderson gets the start in the Ottawa goal while the Canucks will counter with surprise starter Eddie Lack. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 4:00 PM.
The Daily Chirp- It’s only a matter of time before the Senators and Sabres pull the trigger on a deal. I get the sense Bryan Murray is hoping to wait until after the Heritage Classic before making a move though. Shane Prince, who seems to be on the way out, was a healthy scratch last night for Binghamton. He is a player that Tim Murray has spoke very highly of over the years. The Senators have an interest in Chris Stewart obviously but have also had discussions with the Sabres about Matt Moulson and Christian Ehrhoff. I’ve seen a lot of fretting about the idea of Moulson as a “rental” but you have to think that if Murray does indeed target Moulson, it’s with the intention of keeping him here beyond this season.
