Ottawa Senators Continue Road Trip Against Los Angeles Kings
The Ottawa Senators travel to face the Los Angeles Kings in an evening game February 26th, 2015. The Senators sit seven points out of the 8th and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Kings sit 7th in the Western Conference. The Senators are coming off an impressive game against the Anaheim Ducks. The Senators looked great against the Ducks with a 3-0 win. Andrew Hammond picked up a shut out in a dominant performance against one of the NHL’s best teams.
(29-18-12, 70 pts) 3rd in Pacific Division
VS
(25-23-10, 60 pts) 6th in Atlantic Division
10:30 PM
Staples Centre, Los Angeles, California
TV/RADIO: RDS,TSN5
MATCH-UP HISTORY
This is the second time the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings face off this season. The first meeting between the teams was on December 14th, 2014. Ottawa lost the game 5-3. The previous match up saw five different Kings players score goals. The shots in the previous meeting were 36-35 in favour of the Kings. The Senators had a strong first period outshooting the Kings 14-5, but were outshot the rest of the game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Mike Hoffman OTT – Hoffman leads the Senators with 20 goals. He has had an absolutely remarkable year on offence. Hoffman put a puck on net that resulted in an assist and was the reason Mika Zibanejad scored a goal against the Ducks. The Senators star is always one to watch.
Tyler Toffoli LA- The Kings forward leads the team with 19 goals. Toffoli has scored at a higher rate this season than last. Toffoli has been a big part of the Kings offence this season. Jeff Carter plays on a line with Toffoli and is 2nd on the team in goal scoring with 18. The line with Toffoli and Carter will be one to watch.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
- Playoff Dreams – The NHL season is played over 82 games. The Senators have played 58 thus far, leaving 24 to play. They still have a shot at the playoffs. The team would have to go on a serious winning streak. Coming off a big win against the Ducks a win against the Kings would be huge for momentum. At the same time what does a playoff run accomplish? How far could the Senators realistically get in the playoffs? Every NHL team attempts to win the games they play in. It will be interesting to see how the Senators perform in the final stretch of the season.
- Corsi AKA Shot Attempts– The Kings lead the league in Even Strength Corsi percentage with a 54.8 percentage. They are 5th in the NHL in even strength goals against only allowing 92 goals against this season. The Senators are playing a very tough opponent. The Senators are going to have to break through the Kings defence and score on Jonathan Quick.
- Hamburglar- Andrew Hammond has played remarkably for the Senators. Hammond has played in four games and only allowed five goals. He has an impressive .948 save percentage. Hammond is coming off a shutout against the Ducks. Hopefully Hammond can continue his stellar play against the Kings.