Game 76 Preview + Open Thread: Senators @ Kraken

The Ottawa Senators make their first ever trip to Seattle and Climate Pledge Arena tonight, to take on the expansion Seattle Kraken. The lone meeting between the two teams ended with an overtime goal from Josh Norris.

It’s a matchup that has virtually no bearing on the actual standings: the Kraken are solidly in 30th overall, although the 29th place Flyers have pulled off a pretty impressive collapse and might end up catching them if the Kraken don’t really commit to the tank. The Sens are a few spots ahead of them.

Although this season has not gone particularly well for Seattle, there has been a glimmer of hope recently, with 2021 second overall pick Matty Beniers impressing everyone in his first two NHL games.

You can read up on the Kraken at their new SB Nation site, Davy Jones’s Locker!

This game will be the first half of a late night back-to-back  for the Senators in Seattle and Vancouver. Forsberg was in the starters’ end at practice, so expect him to be in net tonight, while Gustavsson takes tomorrow’s matchup.

These are the projected lines:

Sens lines from Game Day skate in Seattle.

Tkachuk Norris Brown
Formenton Stützle Batherson
Gaudette Tierney Senyshyn
Kelly Gambrell Watson

Del Zotto Hamonic
Brannstrom Zub
Holden Zaitsev
Mete

Forsberg-starters end.
Gustavsson

— TSN 1200 (@TSN1200) April 18, 2022

Game Notes

• Senyshyn draws into his first game as a Senator after being acquired from Boston at the trade deadline. He isn’t expected to do much at the NHL level and was probably the one called up because the B-Sens are chasing down a playoff spot, but it’ll be nice to get a look at him.
• Colin White is still in COVID-19 protocol. There are only two guys left who haven’t had it this season - Tkachuk and Zub - so let’s hope it stays that way.
• I mentioned Beniers earlier as a guy to watch out for on the other team, but it bears repeating here. Look at this highlight./

Matty Beniers is doing this in his 2ND NHL GAME. #SeaKraken
pic.twitter.com/7XuNtO72Sh

— Nathan “Grav" (@NathanGraviteh) April 17, 2022

• It’s a late one tonight, and it’ll be another late one tomorrow too. Have your coffee ready! Puck drop is at 10pm ET. You can watch on RDS or TSN5, or listen along on TSN 1200./

Team Stats

Player Stats