Game 64 Preview: Edmonton Oilers @ Ottawa Senators

With the first game in the post-Mark Stone era going a little worse than they’d hoped, the Ottawa Senators (22-36-5) will attempt to get their first win without the Big 3 tonight, when they take on the visiting Edmonton Oilers (26-30-7).

The Senators are looking to snap a five-game losing streak, most recently being stomped 7-2 by the Washington Capitals on Monday night. The Oilers, meanwhile, are in the second game of an Ontario back-to-back, following a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs last night.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30ET, and you can catch this one on TSN5 and RDS, as well as Sportsnet West for our friends in the Heartland. As always, Dean Brown and Gord Wilson will have the call on TSNRadio 1200, and Edmonton radio station CHED will also feature a broadcast.

Ottawa will go 12&6 tonight, but before you get too excited, Christian Wolanin is a healthy scratch for some reason. Rudolfs Balcers is out tonight with an illness, and the recalled Drake Batherson will play in his spot. Craig Anderson starts.

Expect the Ottawa lineup to look something like this:

Game Notes:

• Guy Boucher said today that all playing time henceforth will be decided based on merit, not reputation or draft status. Considering Christian Wolanin is out tonight, and Ben Harpur is in, it’s hard to take the coach’s words to heart.
• Watch to see how much icetime Drake Batherson gets tonight. Again, not holding my breath, but I don’t understand the point of a call-up if he’s not going to play Top-6 minutes. If you’re going to recall someone to play in the ballpark of 10mins a night, it might as well be Darren Archibald.
• Anthony Duclair has looked impressive in his first two games as an Ottawa Senator. His defensive game needs some polish, but his offensive instincts and ability have been on full-display. Duclair was rewarded with a beautiful first goal as a Senator against Washington.

• It will be interesting to see what kind of performance Craig Anderson turns in tonight. He’s been up and down this season, so hopefully he can start racking up some consistently good performances. Not easy with the crew in front of him.
• Expect to see a pissed-off Edmonton Oilers team tonight. Connor McDavid is in his second game back after a two-game suspension, and following a lacklustre performance against the Leafs, Edmonton will be hungry to get back into the “win” column.
• Mikko Koskinen starts in net tonight for the Oilers.
• You can find the Oilers’ probable line combinations and pairings at Left Wing Lock.

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