Ottawa Senators Looks To Keep The Magic Alive In Carolina
After winning three straight games, the Ottawa Senators now head to Carolina to face a Hurricanes squad that has had their number at home.
33-24-11
Ottawa Senators
VS.
Carolina Hurricanes
26-34-8
7:00 PM EST
PNC Arena, Raleigh North Carolina
TSN5, RDS2
MATCHUP HISTORY
These teams have met twice this year (both in 2015), and the Hurricanes were victorious in both. A 3-2 win for Carolina in January was then followed up by a 6-3 win in February—the last game before Ottawa went on their 11-1-1 tear.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Alex Chiasson, OTT- Dave Cameron is clearly not a fan of Chiasson, and he has not been getting regular ice time for good reason. He needs to play much better, although it will be hard to do that on the fourth line. If he doesn’t impress soon, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either Zack Smith (yes, he still exists) or Chris Neil take his spot in the lineup once they are healthy.
Nathan Gerbe, CAR- Gerbe seems to always play well against Ottawa, and I’ll expect more of the same. He’s an intriguing player in that he’s only 5 foot 6, but he’s an effective third line player. It’s hard to miss him when he’s out there (or hard I guess), as he’s the one that looks like a minor hockey kid. Nevertheless, he scored the game winner last time and I wouldn’t be surprised if he scored again against the Senators to dampen their playoff hopes.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Don’t Look Ahead- Ottawa’s next game is against the Bruins on Thursday, which is another massive game for both teams. The players will be looking forward to it, but they can’t lose their focus on forget about the team in the present. The Hurricanes have the fifth best score-adjusted corsi since February so they shouldn’t be taken lightly.
2. Shut Down Their Karlsson- Justin Faulk leads the Hurricanes in scoring, and he leads the team similarly to how Erik Karlsson leads Ottawa. He is a huge part of their offense, and with0ut him they look much worse. Dave Cameron needs to have a specific game plan to thwart his attacks and make sure he always has pressure on him.
3. Steal All The Hamburgers- Andrew Hammond has become a legend in Ottawa in one short month, and the “Hamburglar” needs to play amazing in all of his games or else the team will assuredly go with Craig Anderson. The teams knows there’s little margin for error, and the Hamburglar will have to continue his run of magic. Carolina isn’t exactly known for their offense, so perhaps Hammond will get a bit easier night in net.
Each one of the last 14 games is the biggest game of the year for the Senators, and no mistakes can be made at this point. The Hurricanes are the fifth worst team in the league, and even though it’s a road game, this is a game that Ottawa should win with no excuses.