Game 31 preview: Ottawa Senators @ New Jersey Devils

The Ottawa Senators will finish off their three game road trip with a game in New Jersey tonight against the Devils. Ottawa lost 5-4 in a disappointing performance against the Sabres on Monday and has now gone 12 games and 27 days since its last regulation win. Jean-Gabriel Pageau will make his season debut and Chris Phillips will also return to the lineup. Here are the lines and pairings from Gord Wilson.

MacArthur - Turris - Stone
Hoffman - Zibanejad - Ryan
Legwand - Pageau - Michalek
Condra - Lazar - Chiasson

Borowiecki - Karlsson
Cowen - Ceci
Phillips - Gryba

Anderson (starter)
Lehner

Some notes for tonight:

• Ottawa has to eventually win in regulation right? Like at some point during this season?
• Chris Phillips returning should at least be good for humour value.
• The Senators are 12 points out of third place in the division and 11 points behind Toronto for the first wild card spot. Florida holds the last playoff spot and has a four point lead as well as a game in hand on the Senators.
• Bobby Ryan has six points in his last five games.
• Craig Anderson has cooled down with a save percentage of 90.4% in his last 10 starts. Unsurprisingly, Ottawa has just won two of those games.
• Despite playing only 25 games and only 15:41 per game, Mark Borowiecki is tied for 6th among NHL defencemen in minor penalties. He has also had five fights plus another major penalty on top of that.
• 70% of the Senators games (21 out of 30) have been decided by one-goal. The Senators have won only eight of those games going 8-7-6.
• The Senators have blocked a league low 354 shots.
• Jean-Gabriel Pageau has 18 points in 25 games in the AHL this season.
• Ottawa has trailed after the second period in 1/3rd of their wins (four of 12). They led in five and were tied in the other three.
• Erik Karlsson played 34:02 in Buffalo./