I gotta say- I could really get used to this whole having to come up with a new word to describe just how hot the Ottawa Senators are.
Surging! Streaking! Scintillating comes next, by the way.
The Senators, winners of three consecutive hockey games if you can believe it, are back at it tonight when they host a surprisingly incompetent New York Islanders squad down at the CTC.
Ya know, it really is amazing what a few wins can do for a hockey team.
Not just for the group on the ice but also, for the discourse among fans. For the vibes, really. Because, as much fun as it watching local media and internet strangers eviscerate everything about my favourite hockey team, I much prefer uhh watching them win hockey games.
So, more of that please.
And what is most enjoyable about this recent stretch is all the most important players are leading the way. For the first time in his time as Captain, Brady Tkachuk has grabbed the team by the scruff of the neck and pulled them out of a difficult stretch. We all knew he had that in him but to see it happen in real time has been something else.
Meanwhile the likes of Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot and Tim Stützle- as in the guy that will ultimately define this rebuild- have also found extra gears in their game. Really, they’ve all taken turns dominating portions of the last three games. When those five guys are buzzin’, this team is a handful.
DJ Smith won’t meet with the media until 4:15 PM today so lineup will be a bit of a guessing game till then. Would assume something similar to the group that has been kicking ass and taking the names for the last week or so but we shall see.
Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson
Paul-Stützle-Brown
Formenton-Tierney-Ennis
Sanford-Gambrell-Watson
Chabot-Zaitsev
Holden-Zub
Mete-Thomson
Seems like a spot where they would go back to Filip Gustavsson but again, extremely teebeedee because they also have Anton Forbserg who is simply done losing.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:08 PM. That means DJ Prosper’s set should start his set sometimes around 8:00 PM. With all due respect to the Senators and Islanders, he’s the real main event.
The game is available on TSN5 and on the radio at TSN1200. If illegal internet streams are more your speed, I know a guy (Bort) who knows a guy (also Bort) that can hook you up.
Wondering who has the edge in a match-up between 29th in the NHL vs. 30th in the NHL? Let the HEAD2HEAD table fill in the blanks.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 5-10-5 (15 pts) | 7-15-1 (15 pts) |
| Goals For | 1.90 (31st) | 2.57 (26th) |
| Goals Against | 2.95 (18th) | 3.83 (32nd) |
| Power Play | 14.3% (T-26th) | 17.3% (22nd) |
| Penalty Kill | 82.8% (T-12th) | 72.9% (28th) |
| Shots For | 28.4 (T-29th) | 28.4 (28th) |
| Shots Against | 32.3 (22nd) | 34.4 (T-30th) |
| Leading Scorers | Barzal- 13 pts Nelson- 11 pts Bailey- 7 pts Beauvillier- 7 pts Palmieri- 7 pts |
Batherson- 20 pts Tkachuk- 18 pts Norris- 17 pts Brown- 12 pts Chabot- 11 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Ilya Sorokin 5-6-4 2.49 GAA, .925 sv% |
TBD |
