Game 32 Preview and Open Thread: Ottawa Senators vs Vancouver Canucks
The Sens try to log their first 2021 win against the Canucks.
On a quick turnaround following their 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators (10-20-1) will look to make it two in a row, with their first win over the Vancouver Canucks (13-16-2) in 2021.
The Canucks are coming off of a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, beating another team that the Senators have yet to log a win over this season. These squads met for a three-game split earlier in the season, with the Canucks out-scoring Ottawa by a combined 16-3 en route to a series sweep.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7pmEST, and you can catch this one on TSN5, or Sportsnet Pacific, as well as RDS for our francophone friends. As always, Dean Brown and Gord Wilson will have the call on TSN Radio 1200.
The Senators did not hold a morning skate today, so it stands to reason that the lineup will be pretty much the same as last night. Expect Christian Wolanin to remain in for Erik Brannstrom, and Clark Bishop to play again. Matt Murray will be a gametime decision, and if he can’t go, Joey Daccord will get his third straight start, less than 24 hours after his first NHL win. In that event, Filip Gustavsson will back him up.
Expect the Ottawa lineup to look something like this:
Stützle - Norris - Batherson
Paul - White - Dadonov
Dzingel - Bishop - Watson
Chabot - Zaitsev
Reilly - Zub
Wolanin - Gudbranson
Murray (starter?)
Daccord
Notes:
- It’s a battle of the North division basement, tonight. The Canucks sit in sixth, while Ottawa remains in seventh.
- Expect Thatcher Demko to get the nod for Vancouver, tonight.
- Bishop has looked good in a bottom six role through the past few games. He notched an assist last night, and his speed has been a breath of fresh air in the bottom of the lineup.
- Drake Batherson tied Brady Tkachuk for the team scoring lead last night, with 11 goals.
- Tim Stützle has three points in his last five games, and him and Batherson subtly switching sides on the powerplay has the Senators looking lethal with the man advantage.
- Kevin Mandolese was re-assigned to the team’s taxi squad, after backing up Daccord in an emergency capacity, last night./
As always, here are some stats: courtesy of NHL.com and Natural Stat Trick:
Team Stats
| Game 40 | Ottawa | Senators | Edmonton | Oilers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | # | Rank | # | Rank |
| Goals/GP | 2.62 | 24th | 3.26 | 7th |
| Goals Against/GP | 3.72 | 31st | 2.87 | 16th |
| Shots/GP | 31.1 | 7th | 30.1 | 12th |
| Shots Against/GP | 32.8 | 29th | 30.9 | 18th |
| Powerplay % | 15.2 | 26th | 26.4 | 2nd |
| Penalty Kill % | 76.9 | 22nd | 78.4 | 18th |
| Corsi % (5v5 SVA) | 47.11 | 24th | 48.91 | 17th |
| xGF % (5v5 SVA) | 45.88 | 27th | 50.10 | 14th |
Player Stats
| Game 40 | Ottawa | Senators | Edmonton | Oiler |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Player | # | Player | # |
| Goals | Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson | 12 | Connor McDavid | 22 |
| Assists | Thomas Chabot | 19 | Connor McDavid | 42 |
| Points | Tkachuk, Batherson, Chabot | 23 | Connor McDavid | 64 |
| Shots | Brady Tkachuk | 155 | Connor McDavid | 142 |
| Time on Ice/GP | Thomas Chabot | 26:25 | Darnell Nurse | 25:43 |