Game 47 Hub: Golden Knights @ Sens

This one has the potential to be a bit emotional, as Mark Stone makes his much-anticipated return to Ottawa after the trade that sent the All-Star to Las Vegas at last year’s trade deadline. I won’t re-hash the specifics of how, or why, it all went down but needless to say I expect Stone to receive a fitting video tribute and a rousing ovation. He deserves nothing less.

As for the match-up itself, the Sens are mired in the midst of an eight game losing streak and would desperately like a win to inject a bit of positivity into the proceedings. Their performance in the second half of the game against Chicago on Tuesday left a lot to be desired; DJ Smith said he was a bit disappointed with the team’s effort and that we can expect to see some changes to the line-up. Scott Sabourin, who has been a healthy scratch the last four games, will likely draw in.

Here are the line rushes from yesterday. We will update as soon as the line-up is confirmed.

EDIT (2:00 EST): Smith has confirmed Anderson starts and that Sabourin draws in for Balcers

Game Notes:

• It’s been a bit of a strange year for the Golden Knights: their 24-19-6 record leaves a bit to be desired, but they are also tied for the last Wildcard spot in the Western Conference and a mere three points back of the division-leading Arizona Coyotes. They also look great by virtually any shot-metric that tickles your fancy. They have the profile of a very good team that’s had some bad luck (and goaltending). To say the firing of Gerard Gallant on Wednesday was abrupt would be an understatement.
• In Gallant’s place, Vegas hired long-time San Jose Sharks’ coach Peter DeBoer. DeBoer, as you may recall, was fired earlier this season when the Sharks failed to meet expectations. San Jose, as you may also recall, was the team that knocked Vegas out of last year’s playoffs in part due to a controversial five minute major against Cody Eakin late in the third period of game 7. You may ALSO ALSO recall that Gallant called DeBoer a “clown” before the final game of the series after DeBoer accused Gallant of talking trash to the San Jose players. Lots going on there!
• As regular readers surely know, Stone was my favourite Sen; my large, excitable, adult son. One of my early pieces for the site was about a feeling I had that Stone was bound for greatness. I’m sad I won’t get to see it in person, but I expect tonight’s affair will be a bit emotional.
• With the Sens defense finally healthy, Thomas Chabot’s ice-time was a slightly more human 27:03. There’s an argument to be made that’s still too much, I’d personally rather see him around 23-24 minutes, but it’s good to see we’re well below 30 minutes.
• Marcus Hogberg may only have one win on the season, but he’s at least getting the Sens to extra time almost every start: Ottawa’s been to extra time in six of his eight starts this year.
• Puck drop is at 7:30 and you can catch the game on TSN5 or RDS2 /

Player Stats:

Player Stats

Team Stats:

Team Stats