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Game 36 Preview: Ottawa Senators @ New Jersey Devils

Matt Duchene returns to dance with the Devil.

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Following a pulse-pounding 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday night, the Ottawa Senators (15-16-4) look to stay in the win column this evening, when they pay a visit to the New Jersey Devils (11-15-7).

The Devils are in the second game of a back-to-back, as they dropped a 2-1 decision in Columbus last night. They are looking to snap a three-game losing streak.

The last time these two teams played, the Senators chased Cory Schneider in a decisive 7-3 victory. Matt Duchene, who returns to the lineup tonight after missing the last six games with a lower-body injury, tallied three points on the night.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00ET, and you can catch this one on TSN5, RDS, and MSG+ for our friends in Boss Country. As always, Dean Brown and Gord Wilson will have the call on TSNRadio 1200.

The Sens didn’t run lines at their skate this morning, but Dylan DeMelo also returns to the lineup tonight. They’ll go 11-7, as Nick Paul and Justin Falk are healthy scratches for this evening. Craig Anderson starts.

Expect Ottawa’s lineup to look something like this:

Tierney - Duchene - Boedker
Tkachuk - White - Stone
Dzingel - Smith - Ryan
Paajarvi - Pyatt

Chabot - DeMelo
Lajoie - Ceci
Borowiecki - Jaros
Harpur

Anderson (starter)
McKenna

Game Notes:

  • Chris Tierney, a centre, will play the left wing on Matt Duchene’s line. Tierney admits that he hasn’t played a lot of wing in his career, but indicates that there is a lot of fluidity in terms of responsibility in Ottawa’s system.
  • Keith Kinkaid will start tonight for the Devils.
  • Guy Boucher told the media that one of the many things Colin White has improved upon last year is his speed. White has indeed looked more comfortable with the pace of the NHL game, and has shown irrefutable chemistry with Brady Tkachuk and Mark Stone.
  • Speaking of the young agitator, Tkachuk got off the snide against Nashville with this dirty little number:
  • You can find the Devils’ projected lineup at Left Wing Lock.
  • With New Jersey on a skid, and coming off a road game last night, the Senators stand a good chance tonight if they get off to a quick start.

As always, here are some stats. Courtesy of NHL.com and Natural Stat Trick:

Team Stats

Category Ottawa Senators New Jersey Devils
Category Ottawa Senators New Jersey Devils
-- Value Rank Value Rank
Goals/GP 3.31 7th 2.94 18th
Goals Against/GP 3.86 31st 3.58 28th
Shots/GP 29.0 25th 33.2 6th
Shots Against/GP 38.0 31st 31.5 17th
Powerplay % 22.0 12th 17.1 21st
Penalty Kill % 73.8 30th 82.8 7th
Corsi (5v5, Score & Venue Adjusted) 42.56 31st 49.64 20th
Fenwick (5v5, SVA) 43.02 31st 50.32 16th

Player Stats

Ottawa Senators New Jersey Devils
Ottawa Senators New Jersey Devils
-- Player # Player #
Goals Mark Stone 16 Kyle Palmieri 17
Assists Thomas Chabot 26 Taylor Hall 24
Points Mark Stone 39 Taylor Hall 33
Shots Thomas Chabot 94 Kyle Palmieri 106
TOI/GP Thomas Chabot 24:23 Sami Vatanen 22:20