A little late on the draw today. Have been away from my computer and was not able to update the site until now.
Thankfully, Paul MacLean set the stage for tonight's line up at practice yesterday so we know there won't be any changes. David Rundblad stays in the mix on the back end and Craig Anderson makes the start in goal.
No changes expected to the forward combinations either. Nikita Filatov will start on the team's top line with Greening and Spezza while Nick Foligno takes a second straight turn as the team's second line centre. Here is how the Sens are expected to line up
Greening-Spezza-Filatov
Michalek-Foligno-Alfredsson
Daugavinsr-Smith-Condra
Konopka-Winchester- Butler
Kuba-Karlsson
Phillips-Gonchar
Cowen-Rundblad
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 8:30 on Sportsnet and TVA. You can follow along on the radio at Team 1200 or keep an eye on the comment section for any streams that may pop up.
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On Bobby Ryan
Plenty of speculation today that Anaheim Ducks winger Bobby Ryan could be available via trade. Spoke with one contact on the Sens potential interest and was quickly told it wouldn't happen. Ducks will have plenty of offers for Ryan if they decide to move him but I really don't think Murray is willing to part with the assets required to make a deal of this magnitude. Ryan's contract is also an issue for the Sens.
On Derrick Brassard
Still an option the Sens are considering as a second line centre. According to Aaron Portzline on Twitter, Brassard will be in the line up for the Jackets tonight in Vancouver and is expected to see an increased role. Should be interesting to see who has scouts in Vancouver tonight. Have been told the Sens will have scouts in attendance.
On All Star Voting
The latest round of All Star Game voting results are in and as expected, the Sens contingent are beginning to feel some heat from other players from around the league. Daniel Alfredsson has slipped into second among forwards, Spezza is third and Michalek has fallen to 5th. Erik Karlsson continues to lead all defenceman in votes. Important that Sens fans continue to vote and vote often. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell strangers on the street to #VoteAlfie and all the rest. You can go here to cast your vote. And don't forget you can vote an additional 30 times via text message and 30 more times from your mobile device.
On Scoreboard
Here is the piece of good news for today. Was given indication today that the plan is to have a new scoreboard in place in time for the NHL All Star Game on January 29th. This has been an on again/off again issue for awhile now but it finally sounds like some progress has been made. Rumour has it the board will be installed towards the end of December.
