Game 76 Preview: New York Islanders @ Ottawa Senators
Wait, another back-to-back?
The Ottawa Senators are set to face the New York Islanders tonight, in what is expected to be a bit of a sludgy game. Both clubs played last night in different cities (Ottawa lost to Carolina 4-1, New York lost to Florida 3-0), and made the quick trip over to hit the ice once again.
Ottawa’s lineup is expected to stay the same, with Mike Condon presumably getting the start after Anderson faced 29 shots yesterday. There’s been no word on Erik Karlsson, and since the Sens are back at home, there’s a possibility he could rejoin the team.
Hoffman - Pageau - Chlapik
Paajarvi - Smith - Pyatt
Sexton - McCormick - Burrows
Chabot - Ceci
Harpur - Borowiecki
Claesson - Wolanin
Condon (starter)
Anderson
Game Notes
- Masterton nominations were revealed around the league today for outstanding perseverance, with Mark Borowiecki getting the honours from the Sens media. He missed a large chunk of the season dealing with post-concussion syndrome, and has since returned to playing his consistent, hard-hitting, shut-down role.
- My 2015 self would be very surprised to see how far Borowiecki has progressed, but in the past couple seasons he’s been able to use his hits more effectively, rather than taking himself out of the play. With recent tracking of events like zone entries, it’s no surprise that his defensive numbers have been some of the best on the Sens.
- One last note on BoroCop, he had 10 hits against Carolina yesterday, his highest single-game total in over a year (had 11 hits on March 23rd, 2017 against Pittsburgh).
- Matt Duchene is still only a hat trick away from hitting 200 career goals. He has 11 points in his last 11 games.
- Ottawa’s odds for the 1st overall pick are up to 12%, with last night’s loss plus the wins for Buffalo and Arizona. They’re currently tied for second last in points with Vancouver and Arizona, although they still have one game in hand. Buffalo sits three points beneath the group.
- Speaking of draft picks, I’m starting to see some mock drafts being posted here and there. My personal top five is Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov, Filip Zadina, Adam Boqvist and Quinn Hughes, although I’m curious to know your opinion in the comments.
- Could this be the last time we see John Tavares play Ottawa in an Islanders uniform? /
Here are some head-to-head stats, from NHL.com and Natural Stat Trick.
Team Stats
| Category | Ottawa | Senators | Boston | Bruins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | Value | Rank | Value | Rank |
| Goals/GP | 2.68 | 25th | 3.25 | 6th |
| Goals against/GP | 3.44 | 30th | 2.56 | 3rd |
| Shots/GP | 30.7 | 24th | 32.8 | 11th |
| Shots against/GP | 33.0 | 25th | 29.3 | 2nd |
| Powerplay % | 16.7 | 26th | 23.5 | 4th |
| Penalty Kill % | 76.2 | 27th | 83.3 | 4th |
| Corsi (5v5, Score & Venue Adjusted) | 46.32 | 29th | 53.97 | 2nd |
| Fenwick (5v5, SVA) | 46.94 | 27th | 54.01 | 1st |
Player Stats
| Ottawa | Senators | Boston | Bruins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | Player | # | Player | # |
| Goals | Matt Duchene | 27 | Brad Marchand | 34 |
| Assists | Erik Karlsson (out) | 53 | Brad Marchand | 51 |
| Points | Karlsson/Stone (both out) | 62 | Brad Marchand | 85 |
| Shots | Mike Hoffman | 253 | David Pastrnak | 236 |
| TOI/GP | Erik Karlsson (out) | 26:44 | Zdeno Chara | 22:53 |
