Game 64 Preview: Ottawa Senators @ Arizona Coyotes

The Ottawa Senators visit the Arizona Coyotes in what is shaping up to be a tank battle for the ages.  Games like these can be particularly conflicting for fans: on the one hand, wins like last night’s surprise outing against the Golden Knights are fun and help us cope with the doldrums of a lost season. On the other hand, there’s no doubt that the Sens would prefer to finish behind the Coyotes for the purposes of the draft lottery.

So, what are we left with? Personally, I’m pulling for a lot of goals and then let the chips fall where they may. Goals always help soothe the pain.

Lineup Notes

Marian Gaborik remains out with what has been termed a minor injury. No other details have been provided by the Sens at the time of this writing.

Mike Condon will get the start for the Sens, with Antti Raanta getting the nod for the Coyotes.

Here’s how the Sens are expected to line-up:

Game Notes

• Last night was vintage Erik Karlsson, a stellar performance that should serve to remind us all (and hopefully Sens’ management) how indispensable he is to this franchise. The Sens don’t win that game without their talisman.
• Speaking of outstanding performances, Mark Stone found his scoring touch last night with an absolute beauty in the first period. He’s quietly on a 90 (!!) point pace with team-leading shot metrics — he’s been really, really good.
• Clayton Keller has been a bright spot for the Coyotes this year, but virtually everything else has gone poorly. The off-season acquisitions have not panned out as they might have hoped and players like Max Domi (and Anthony Duclair before he was traded) seem to have taken steps backwards. For all the talk of the need for a complete rebuild, the Coyotes are a reminder of what can happen if the tear-down isn’t executed properly./

Head-to-Head Stats

Data from NHL.com and Natural Stat Trick.

Team Stats

Player Stats