Gameday #31: Hurricanes @ Senators
By Bobby Zijiac
7:00 PM ET
CBC Ottawa
FanSided Enemy: Cardiac Cane
Back at sweet home Scotiabank Place, the Ottawa Senators try to win their 3rd out 4 games tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. This is surprisingly the first meeting between the two teams after last season’s 2-2 season series tie. Carolina beat Ottawa twice in Carolina each by a score of 2-1 and Ottawa beat Carolina twice in Ottawa by a scores of 5-1 and 4-2. Cam Ward, unfortunately, is expected to return tonight between the pipes for Carolina. Erik Cole, Chad LaRose, Sergei Samsonov, Rod Brind’amour, and (thank god) Joe Corvo will be out for Carolina, while Chris Neil, Shean Donovan, and Pascal Leclaire will be out for Ottawa still. Alexandre Picard will make his return tonight and Chris Campoli will surprisingly be a healthy scratch, even though his better play of late.
Brian Elliott will make his 12th consecutive start tonight, which is very surprising for me. I really thought Mike Brodeur would get at least 2 starts in the absence of Pascal Leclaire but it sems like Cory Clouston doesn’t trust him at all. It would seem smart to put him in agaisnt a woeful team like Carolina but that’s why I’m not coach of the team. The forward lines will stay the same tonight as it was in Philadelphia.
Carolina has sucked hard this season, but Ottawa can’t take them lightly. One thing the Sens should do early on is tire the Canes, who played last night in Washington. Travelling from Washington to Ottawa right after the game is darn right tiring, and especially that Carolina played a very fast Caps team. Tonight is a nigth wehre one of the top two lines have to step up and produce. I have a feeling that line will be the Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev one, who have worked up some chemistry the past games. Ottawa’s defense needs to be as stingy as they were in Philly, especially Anton Volchenkov who may have had his best game on Thursday. All in all though, Ottawa should win this one and eek up the standigns even further up.
EDIT: Cardiac Cane is saying Manny Legace will get the start instead tonight. Interesting…
Ottawa 5 (Cheechoo, Michalek, Picard, Fisher, Kovalev)
Carolina 2 (Whitney, Jokinen)
GO SENS GO!!!