Game 61 Hub: Ottawa Senators @ Chicago Blackhawks

With a valiant effort to secure a point on the road against the Washington Capitals, the Ottawa Senators have re-established some of the faith that had been lost over a five-game losing streak. They've stopped the bleeding for the time being, but the patient (my mental health) is still in critical condition.

Tonight's game against the Chicago Blackhawks is a must-win, not because Chicago is hot garbage, but because other teams, such as the Columbus Blue Jackets, are currently on pace to keep us out of the playoffs, yesterday's fantastic out-of-town scoreboard results aside.

The Sens'll be running the same lineup from Monday, with Linus Ullmark starting in goal. Health-wise, it's about as good as you can hope for, so no excuses.

Game Notes:

• With the week-to-week injury to Tyler Kleven and the Sens not wanting to risk losing Nikolas Matinpalo on waivers, the club is only running two left shots on the blueline in Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson, who eclipsed 25 and 31 minutes respectively against the Caps. Not the kind of minutes you want to see every night, but it's an easier pill to swallow that it's out of necessity for injury instead of incompetence. Ice time has been managed well this season, so it shouldn't be a problem for those two, at least in the short term.
• Chicago's won two in a row, including Spencer Knight's 41-save debut against the Kings. That's the kind of goaltending that can steal games, but Ottawa's finishing seems to be on a long-overdue upswing. I mean, Sanderson was on the ice for just one Ottawa 5-on-5 goal last game. That's crazy!
• Tim Stützle has been driving the Sens' offence since recovering from a dry spell featuring a stretch of 5 points in 13 games. He's now back above a point per game with a 12-game point streak (18 points), while Brady Tkachuk has scored a goal in three straight games.
• It's a 7:30 pm EST start, and the game is available on Sportsnet and TSN 1200.

Stats: