Ottawa Senators Will Look To End Skid Against Columbus

The Ottawa Senators will look to get back on track against the up-jump Columbus Blue Jackets tonight. After losing four straight they are still looking for their first win since returning from Sweden.

The Ottawa Senators will return to a normal twelve forward and six defencemen lineup tonight. It will be Gabriel Dumont’s first game with the Sens.

Forward

At forward the Sens will attempt to make things work with four full lines. The players set to play are: Tom Pyatt, Matt Duchene, Bobby Ryan, Ryan Dzingel, Derick Brassard, Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Alex Burrows, Nick Paul, Nate Thompson, Gabriel Thompson, and Gabriel Dumont.

Defence

On defence the Sens will cut back to six defencemen. Fredrik Claesson will be the odd man out tonight. The players in the lineup are: Ben Harpur, Erik Karlsson, Dion Phaneuf, Cody Ceci, Johnny Oduya, and Thomas Chabot.

Goal

In goal, Craig Anderson will get the start. He will be looking to get his season back on track after a less than stellar first quarter of the season.

The Need To Win

The main focus tonight has to be to win by any means possible. The Sens have lost four straight and are currently in freefall down the Eastern Conference standings. If they are to break out of this slump they need a good game from everyone.

Next: Ottawa Senators Still Winless Since Return From Sweden

Players To Step Up

Players that will be looked at to step up tonight will be Matt Duchene and Erik Karlsson. Duchene has played well but hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet since joining the Ottawa Senators. Karlsson has performed up to his standard offensively this season. However, he hasn’t been up to that level defensively. He’s still been the Sens best player, but he hasn’t been dominant. He needs to be dominant for the Sens to win games.