Game 58: Edmonton Oilers @ Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators will finish off what has been a disappointing homestand with an afternoon game against the Edmonton Oilers. Having lost the first three games, the Senators finally won Thursday night against Nashville. Today, they host an Edmonton club that is second last in the NHL overall and have the worst road record in the NHL, winning just 6 of their 28 road games (6-20-2). The Oilers will be finish off their their three-game road trip where they have been outscored 10-5 in the first two games.
Oh and it is Hockey Day in Canada, so we might see some chest-thumping about how it is "our" game and such.
Craig Anderson will get the start for Ottawa, but there will be no other changes. Here are the lines:
GO SENS GO!
Here is what I will be watching for:
- Offence from Erik Karlsson: He hasn't played terribly (played over 32 minutes against St. Louis), but he hasn't had a point in four straight games. He has 14 shots in that span and has setup teammates while the power play was looking very dangerous against Nashville. Still, he hasn't been among the points so hopefully he can change that.
- Offence from Kyle Turris: Turris is another player that hasn't been on the scoreboard in the last four games. His goal against Boston is his only point in eight games.
- Anderson returns: Craig Anderson played only 3:49 against St. Louis and didn't play at all against Nashville. So he hasn't really had any significant action since last Saturday. He should be well rested and fatigue can't be an excuse today. Anderson has an .877 save percentage and 4.20 goals against average since the all-star break.
- Stopping Sam Gagner: I don't know where this came from, but since his eight point night, he has added another six points in the next three games for a total of 8 goals and 6 assists in the last four games.
