After closing out 2023 on a high note, the Ottawa Senators will look to keep things rolling in the New Year as they visit the West-leading Vancouver Canucks.
Tonight’s stop in Vancouver is the start of another tough five-game road trip for the Sens. They’ll also visit the Kraken (a Kraken?), the Oilers, the Flames and the Sabres.
We’ll assume the Senators go with a similar lineup as last time out. Not sure they viewed it as a long-term option but there is no way they can break up that Brannstrom-Kastelic-MacEwen line after their performance against the Sabres on New Year’s Eve.
Here’s how Jacques has ’em lined up at the morning skate.
Tkachuk-Norris-Giroux
Tarasenko-Stützle-Batherson
Kubalik-Greig-Kelly
Brannstrom-Kastelic-MacEwen
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Bernard-Docker
Chychrun-Hamonic
Anton Forsberg starts.
Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 PM in Vancouver which means that New Year’s resolution to get more sleep is out the window on January 2nd. The late start also means more time to pre-drink so that resolution is shot too. Although the game is available on TSN5, which is great news for that resolution to never, ever watch Sportsnet.
And now, a closer look at this evening’s match-up courtesy of the HEAD2HEAD table.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 14-18-0 (28 pts) | 23-10-3 (49 pts) |
| Goals For | 3.44 (9th) | 3.78 (1st) |
| Goals Against | 3.50 (28th) | 2.56 (3rd) |
| Power Play | 17.6% (23rd) | 23.6% (9th) |
| Penalty Kill | 72.1% (32nd) | 77.5% (24th) |
| Shots For | 32.2 (9th) | 28.0 (29th) |
| Shots Against | 31.3 (22nd) | 29.9 (12th) |
| Leading Scorers | Stutzle-33 pts Batherson-29 pts Giroux-29 pts Tkachuk-26 pts Chychrun-25 pts |
Miller-48 pts Hughes-45 pts Pettersson-43 pts Boeser-38 pts Hronek-29 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Anton Forsberg 7-6-0 3.11 GAA, .890 sv% |
Thatcher Demko 17-7-1 2.46 GAA, .917 sv% |
