After a couple of rough outings to start the 2011/2012 NHL season, the Ottawa Senators return home to friendly confines of Scotiabank Place to play their home opener.
It will be the first of many special nights at SBP this year as the organization will welcome back members of the 1992 Ottawa Senators team. The club is asking that fans be in their seats by 7:20 PM to take in the ceremonies.
The fun gets started at 4:30 PM when members of that first Sens team and current Sens team will walk the red carpet into SBP.
While there will be plenty of talk about the pregame festivities the team has planned, the return of one former-Senator is sure to overshadow all of that. Dany Heatley will be making his second return to SBP, this time as a member of the Minnesota Wild.
Over the past couple of days I have read plenty of articles suggesting that Sens fans move on from Heatley and I agree with that to an extent. With that said, I certainly don’t think fans should go easy on him. He needs to be boo’d early and he needs to be boo’d often. I said the same thing last time he was in town and it remains true this time around, Ottawa fans should have fun with it. Heatley is Public Enemy #1 in this town and we should make sure he still knows it.
Meanwhile, the Sens will be making a couple of changes to a line up that dropped a 6-5 decision in Toronto on Saturday night. Peter Regin and David Rundblad will both see their first action of the year which means Brian Lee and Nikita Filatov will sit. Bobby Butler remains in the press box.
Here is how the Sens lined up this morning.
- Greening-Spezza-Zibanejad
- Michalek-Da Costa-Alfredsson
- Foligno-Regin-Neil
- Smith-Konopka-Condra
- Cowen-Gonchar
- Kuba-Karlsson
- Phillips-Rundblad
Craig Anderson will make his third straight start in the Ottawa goal. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM tonight. The game is available on TSN or on the radio courtesy of the Team 1200.
GO SENS GO!
