Game 13 Preview: Detroit Red Wings @ Ottawa Senators
Here’s hoping for a quick bounce back
Well, I think we can all admit the Senators found quite a way to earn their second regulation loss of the season. An 8-3 shellacking by the slumping Montreal Canadiens was not pretty. We’ve had two empty days to stew over the loss, but now things are back up and running against the Red Wings.
It’s not clear exactly who or what to expect tonight. Kyle Turris should be back from the flu, Mark Borowiecki is out with “not the flu”, and Dion Phaneuf missed practice but should be good to go. Craig Anderson gets the start after a rare flub of a game on Monday. Here are the projected lines, via the official account:
Smith - Turris - Dzingel
Pyatt - Brassard - Stone
Hoffman - Pageau - DiDomenico
Burrows - Thompson - Rodewald
Oduya - Karlsson
Phaneuf - Ceci
Claesson - Wideman
Anderson (starter)
Condon
Some thoughts:
- I know Erik Karlsson was a -6 last game, but did anyone think that Johnny Oduya looked like a capable partner for him? I’m not hating on Oduya, I just don’t think he can keep up with EK’s top-line minutes
- Karlsson’s -6 was only the second time in the past six seasons that’s happened
- Never thought I’d say this, but this lineup could use some Mark Borowiecki
- At the very least, I’d like to see Fredrik Claesson get some more time with the captain
- I get that Boucher likes spreading out his talent, but I really think I’d rather see Hoffman move up to Brassard’s wing than Pyatt. Pyatt-Pageau-Thompson had been growing on me as a combo, but for whatever reason, Hoffman-Pageau is the chemistry the coach just can’t split up
- That 8-3 game dropped the Sens from 8th to 20th in the league in goals allowed per game
- Detroit comes in on a two-game win streak, but that streak broke a six-game losing streak. This team doesn’t look great
- Jimmy Howard should start, furthering Petr Mrazek’s fall from grace. Maybe they’d be interested in a new-and-improved Andrew Hammond?
- Mike Green has turned the clock back a decade, with 11 points in his first 13 games, behind only Dylan Larkin on the team /
Below are some stats for tonight’s games. As always, all stats via NHL.com except Corsi/Fenwick from NaturalStatTrick.com:
Team Stats
| Category | Ottawa | Senators | Washington | Capitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | Value | Rank | Value | Rank |
| Goals/GP | 3.21 | 9th | 2.73 | 23rd |
| Goals against/GP | 3.05 | 19th | 3.18 | 23rd |
| Shots/GP | 30.9 | 18th | 29.3 | 28th |
| Shots against/GP | 29.7 | 4th | 32.8 | 24th |
| Corsi (5v5, Score & Venue Adjusted) | 48.15 | 22nd | 47.48 | 25th |
| Fenwick (5v5, SVA) | 50.29 | 14th | 46.20 | 28th |
Player Stats
| Ottawa | Senators | Boston | Bruins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | Player | # | Player | # |
| Goals | Matt Duchene | 27 | Brad Marchand | 34 |
| Assists | Erik Karlsson (out) | 53 | Brad Marchand | 51 |
| Points | Karlsson/Stone (both out) | 62 | Brad Marchand | 85 |
| Shots | Mike Hoffman | 253 | David Pastrnak | 236 |
| TOI/GP | Erik Karlsson (out) | 26:44 | Zdeno Chara | 22:53 |
