It really doesn’t need to be said at this point. The stakes are obvious.
After dropping the first two games of the series in Toronto, this is a game the Sens gotta win. It’s that simple. There have been encouraging signs in those first two on the road and there are legitimate reasons to believe they can rally but tonight, they just gotta find a way.
The Ottawa Senators host the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3.
We’ve used the term often over the last decade and usually in a mid-season slump or in a fruitless late-season push. But this time, I really mean it. I’m yelling this at anyone who will listen and at some people that won’t. It’s time to bring out the big guns. This is, without a doubt…
THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR.
Okay, that’s the obvious part.
Now how about a moment to really appreciate where we find ourselves today? I usually advise against it but just for a second, think about the low points over the last decade, about the expectations we put on this team heading into this season and about where we find ourselves right fucking now. Excuse my language but it’s late April. It’s 15 degrees outside.
It’s a jersey/no coat kinda thing. It’s chills looking at the white towels draped over the seats kinda thing. Get to the rink at 4:00 PM with your friends and crush a bunch of overpriced beers kinda thing. High-fiving a perfect stranger and heckling a kid if he looks at you the wrong way kinda thing. It’s the kind of thing we’ve waited eight long years for.
The Ottawa Senators are about to host a Stanley Cup playoff game.
Honestly, I get chills just typing the words. And all day long, you can just tell there is something different in the air as the series shifts back to Ottawa. It’s a vibe I haven’t felt in this city for a long, LONG time and honestly, I just can’t wait to get down there.
We saw a lot of it in Game 2 but it seems like the forward combinations will be shuffled right out of the gate tonight. Fabian Zetterlund appears poised to join the team’s top six, skating on a line with Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens. Meanwhile, both Ridly Greig and Nick Jensen were again absent at the morning skate but all signs point to them both being available.
A best guess at how they’ll line up for this one.
Tkachuk-Stützle-Giroux
Zetterlund-Cozens-Batherson
Greig-Pinto-Amadio
Cousins-Gaudette-Perron
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark gets the start in goal.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 PM at The Tire. The game is available on television and on radio and for the first time in eight years, this particular Stanley Cup playoff game is available for viewing in-person in Ottawa.
We’ve been waiting a long damn time for this, Sens fans. Let’s have some fun with it.
GO SENS GO
