Without a doubt, much attention around the league will turn to David Clarkson, who is probably the newest “biggest name” potential unrestricted free agent on July 5th. He could join the likes of Alex Semin and Mike Ribeiro as the prizes of the free agent pool that has shriveled up remarkably with the removal of Perry and Ryan Getzlaf in recent weeks.

March 15, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov (30) makes a save against New Jersey Devils center David Clarkson (23) during the shootout at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers defeated the Devils 2-1, in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Clarkson is that power forward who can score goals, although he is very streaky (while some would call it inconsistent).  He started out with 10 goals in his first 14 games and he was all the rage and would have got a huge deal at the time.  Now, with 1 goal in his last 15 games, that talk has died down somewhat.

So while the rumours will no doubt turn to Clarkson as the top-6 winger the Senators need, I don’t see a fit.  The only tie I can see at all with the Senators organization is that he played on the same team as Jason Spezza for a couple of months in Belleville as a junior, and he also played with Andre Benoit for three years in Kitchener, but those aren’t exactly the ties that bind.

Clarkson is from Toronto, so no doubt the Leafs machine will start that campaign sooner or later, and I just don’t see the day where Clarkson is a Senator.

With Perry not an option, I would think that the Sens will stick to building from within.  If the Perry home run was available, you have to take it, but don’t think the team will feel they need to go for option B in free agency just because they missed on option A.

7-6-2, 8th East

VS.

9-3-3, 4th East

1:00 PM

TV: Rogers Sportsnet   Radio: Team 1200

HEAD TO HEAD

The Senators went 1-2-1 in four meetings last season, with the lone win coming in overtime.  Daniel Alfredsson had the OT winner in the victory, while Johan Hedberg beat them twice, one by shutout.  Martin Brodeur beat the Sens in the final game of the season.  This is the first meeting of the season between the clubs.

Apr 7; Newark, NJ, USA; Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) makes a save on a shot by New Jersey Devils center Travis Zajac (19) during the third period at the Prudential Center. The Devils defeated the Senators 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

LAST GAMES

Both teams are coming off Saturday losses.  The Devils dropped a 5-1 decision to the Islanders on the strength of four points each from John Tavares and Matt Moulson.  Johan Hedberg took that loss, so expect Martin Brodeur to start against the Senators.  They sit in 4th based on divisional standings, but have the second most points in the East. Ottawa started the post-Karlsson era with a 3-0 loss to Ben Scrivens and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sergei Gonchar, OTT – With Karlsson out of the lineup, Gonchar becomes the de-facto first choice for offense from the blue line.  The focus will be on him to quarterback the power play along with playing increased minutes.  He led all players on Saturday night with over 27 minutes of ice time.

David Clarkson, NJ – The 28 year old power forward is tied for 4th in goals in the league and has 3 game winners, one off the league lead.  The pace he is scoring at right now would be a 54 goal season over 82 games.  He scored 30 last year and added 130+ PIMs.

TOP 3 STORYLINES FOR THE GAME

1.  Bishop Gets The Nod – It was revealed after the practice on Sunday that Ben Bishop would get the start in New Jersey.  After a poor outing in Tampa Bay, Bishop played well in his second start, a 1-0 loss to the Jets.  He won’t be able to count on much offensive support so he needs to keep it to one or two goals against to get the Sens a win.

2. Lineup questions – After being a healthy scratch in favor of two player making their NHL debuts, will Colin Greening get back into the lineup, and if so, how will he react?  Peter Regin is eligible to come off the IR, and if he is good to go as it has been rumoured, either Derek Grant or Dave Dziurzynski will be returned to Binghamton. Eric Gryba played well on the blue line, but Patrick Wiercioch provides a little more offensive upside from the blue line, so he could draw back in with either Gryba or Andre Benoit coming out.

3.  End the slide – The Senators can ill afford to drop any further in the standings, as with the Rangers’ win on Sunday, Ottawa sits 8th in the East.  They are only 1 point up on 9th place Tampa Bay, and will have played 2 extra games after today.  The psychological affect of falling out of the playoffs could be devastating on top of all they have gone through the last few weeks.

PARTING SHOT

The Senators won the first game ever played in the Prudential Center, with Chris Neil scoring the first goal in the building.  The arena hasn’t been kind to the Senators since then, as the good guys have won only 3 of 9 matchups held there.