Game 19: Ottawa Senators v. Pittsburgh Penguins

The second meeting of the Senators and Penguins this season, with the Senators looking to even-up the season series after dropping the opener by a 4-1 score. A few notes heading into the game:

• The Penguins will likely be without four of their top six defencemen tonight: Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, Brooks Orpik, and Jay McKee. And we thought we had it tough without Anton Volchenkov.
• Even without those defencemen, though, the Penguins can still score: Jordan Staal has 1G, 2A in the last 3GP, Sidney Crosby has 3A in the last 3GP, and Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis, and Bill Guerin each have 2G in the last 2GP.
• Ottawa, one the other hand, is in tough: Both Jason Spezza and Filip Kuba are pointless in the last five games, and Daniel Alfredsson has no points in two games. At least Mike Fisher and Alex Kovalev are putting up some points.

Darren's Take: The Ottawa Senators could use a win here tonight for several reasons. First, it'd be sweet revenge after losing to the Pens at home earlier in the season. Second, the Penguins are missing a number of defensemen and have been slumping on the road, so this is arguably the Senators' best shot at beating them. Finally, the Senators are still looking for its first win against a Cup contender, even if this particular Cup contender is missing most of it's blueline. I'll also be watching the top line, which has been a bit disappointing lately. Spezza and Alfredsson have been far too quiet in the past few games, and Milan Michalek hasn't had a breakaway in a while. Let's hope two out of those three (or all three) put at least a puck in the back of the net tonight. As always, all eyes will be on Pascal Leclaire, who hopes to continue playing like he did in his fantastic third period against the Leafs.

Be sure to join in the fun in the comments before, during, and after the game. Let's go Sens!