Game 55 Preview and Open Thread: Ottawa Senators @ Vegas Golden Knights

After what we can only describe as an excitingly disappointing loss to the Arizona Coyotes last night, it would be safe to assume DJ Smith is preaching a full defensive lockdown for tonight’s game at T-Mobile arena.

Sens fans will have the chance to see Ottawa face Jack Eichel in a Golden Knights uniform for the first time. Since recovering from surgery, Eichel has contributed five points in eight games with his new club. Vegas currently sits third in their division, firmly in a playoff spot.

Interestingly, mediocre goaltending is what makes this game more winnable for the Sens than the standings might suggest. Between Robin Lehner (0.907 SV%) and Laurent Broissoit (0.900 SV%), the Golden Knights haven’t exactly been deep in net this season. With Josh Norris back to scoring form and Thomas Chabot contributing seven points over his last five games, there might be a bounce back game in store for Ottawa if they can play responsibly in their own zone.

As we’ve got an 8pm EST start on the second half of a back-to-back, we won’t know how the Sens are lining up until the early evening.

The #Sens conclude their regular-season series with @GoldenKnights when the teams meet on Sunday evening.

Pre-game availability will take place in person @TMobileArena at 2:20 p.m. PST (5:20 p.m. EST). Post-game's access will be available via the team's recurring Zoom link.

— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) March 6, 2022

That being said, after last night’s loss it’s safe to assume we’ll see Anton Forsberg as Ottawa’s starter and Tyler Ennis, who was scratched last night, will probably draw back in. We’ll come back when the lines are announced and update this post accordingly.

Game Notes

• After Matt Murray allowed eight goals on 31 shots, the Sens will be turning back to Anton Forsberg between the pipes. Forsberg has turned his season around and despite a few recent losses has been the Sens most consistent goaltender since December.
• We can’t expect Parker Kelly to score a pair of goals every game but you can expect him to bring the same tenacity and effort tonight in Vegas as he looks to build momentum on his recent strong play.
• Josh Norris (1G) and Thomas Chabot (3A) drove the offense yesterday and we’ll look to see them do the same tonight. It was refreshing to see Norris score his first since returning from injury, from his usual spot on the powerplay.
• All eyes will be on Brady Tkachuk who has contributed plenty to the physicality of the last few games but has just two points in his last seven outings./

Game 56 Player Stats

Game 55 Team Stats