Columbus Blue Jackets vs Ottawa Senators Preview
3-1-0
VS
3-1-0
Game 1: 7:00 PM EST
Scotia Bank Place Ottawa,Ont
Air Canada Centre Toronto,Ont
TV: Sportsnet
MATCHUP HISTORY
The Senators won two out of three match ups against the Blue Jackets last season. Ottawa outscored the Blue Jackets 7-3 over the final two match ups, after losing the first game of the series 4-1. Both Senator wins came against back up goalie Curtis McElhinney. McElhinney will be starting Saturday evenings game. Robin Lehner won his only appearance against Columbus last year. Lehner will be starting in net for the Senators.
LAST GAMES
Colorado Avalanche 3-5 Ottawa Senators
Calgary Flames 2-3 Columbus Blue Jackets
PLAYERS TO WATCH –Look for Erik Karlsson to have a solid game. He put up three goals and one assist against the Jackets last year. Karlsson has had 17 shots on goal thus far. One of his shots will find the back of the net soon. The Senators will once again need a solid performance in net from Robin Lehner. Clarke MacArthur is the only Senator with more than one goal. Ryan Johansen has been off to an extremely hot start for the Blue Jackets. Johansen has three goals and three assists so far. Former Senator Nick Foligno is also off to a productive start. Foligno has one goal and four assists for the year.
TOP 3 STORYLINES FOR THE GAMES
1. Goaltending- Robin Lehner saved 40 of 42 shots in the shootout win against the Lightning. Lehner’s performance was absolutely remarkable. Will he continue his high level of play? Saturdays evenings match-up will be Curtis McElhinney’s first start of the year. How will he fare? He was 10-11-1 last year with a .909 save percentage. Every hockey game comes down to goal scoring and goaltending. What makes goaltending a storyline for this game is the question of if Lehner continues his great goaltending, or if McElhinney will make his season debut in the win column.
2- Possesion Woes-The Senators were outshot 17-11 in the second period of their game against the Colorado Avalanche. I wrote an article recently about the Senators woes in Corsi and Fenwick over the three games prior to the match-up against the Avalanche. The Senators are 25th in the league with a 46.33 Corsi%. Columbus is 5th best with a 55.83 Corsi%. The Jackets have been better at generating offense and possessing the puck. This game is a true test for the Senators. They are playing a team that has done an exceptional job at generating offense. Will the defense improve/will the goaltending hold up?
3- Discipline- The Blue Jackets have been short handed the fewest times this season. The Jackets have only been on the penalty kill nine times. The Senators have been short handed 14 times, 13th best in the league. The Senators led the league in times short handed last season. It will be important for the Senators to stay out of the penalty box. The Senators are currently on pace for being short handed 266 times on the season. This would be a dramatic improvement to the 320 times they were short handed last year. 266 would have placed them 15th in times short handed last season. Let’s hope the Senators can stay out of the box!
ENJOY WATCHING/LISTENING TO THE GAMES!