Game 14 preview: Ottawa Senators @ Carolina Hurricanes

The Ottawa Senators will look for a season high three game winning streak when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. The Senators beat the Winnipeg Jets in a shootout on Wednesday while the Hurricanes lost 4-1 to the Dallas Stars last night.

Mark Stone will return from suspension and will replace Zack Smith who will be a healthy scratch. Cody Ceci is injured and will be replaced by Chris Wideman in the lineup. Andrew Hammond will start.

Here are the lines:

Prince - Turris - Stone
Hoffman - Zibanejad - Ryan
Michalek - Pageau - Chiasson
Puempel - Lazar - Neil

Methot - Karlsson
Wiercioch - Borowiecki
Cowen - Wideman

Hammond (starter)
Anderson

Some notes for tonight:

• There good news is that Chris Wideman will play. The bad news is that both Jared Cowen and Mark Borowiecki will still play. With Patrick Wiercioch not having a great year so far, that second pairing with Borowiecki could be disastrous against stiffer competition.
• On the forwards, the Senators look really good. With Bobby Ryan and Mike Hoffman the better wingers of the two lines, it would not be easy to determine what is the #1 line right now. The Michalek Pageau Chiasson line should also be an excellent third line. Chris Neil aside, the fourth line also has more skill than the typical bottom line.
• Ottawa will get lucky again playing an opponent that played last night. Hopefully they have a more straightforward victory than the one on Thursday.
• The Senators are 5-1-0 on the road.
• Ottawa sits second in their division and you really have to like their chances at a playoff spot this year due to the lack of competition.
• The games in Carolina always seem to be strange or frustrating affairs. Or maybe I just don't remember.
• Erik Karlsson still does not have a goal yet on 32 shots. It is going to end tonight because...reasons./