11-7-0 T 5th Eastern Conference

VS

10-5-2, T 5th Eastern Conference

7:00 pm

TV:  CBC   RADIO: TEAM1200

HEAD TO HEAD

The Leafs won a listless game in the first matchup last week, by a score of 3-0.  Ben Scrivens had the shutout in the first game of the Post-Karlsson era.

Feb 16, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Ottawa Senators right wing Chris Neil (25) in action as he is watched closely by Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Nikolai Kulemin (41) at the Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Senators 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

LAST GAMES

The Senators and Leafs both played at home on Thursday night.  The Sens downed the Rangers 3-2 in the shootout, while the Leafs were beating Buffalo 3-1 in Ron Rolston’s debut behind the Sabres bench.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

James van Riemsdyk, TOR – Replacing the injured Joffrey Lupul on the top line with Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak, van Riemsdyk has 10 points in his last 9 games, including an assist in last week’s game against Ottawa.

Chris Phillips, OTT – Played a season-high 24:48 on Thursday against the Rangers.  He has been forced into a greater role, as have all the club’s defensemen in Erik Karlsson‘s absence. Phillips has 3 goals this season.

TOP 3 STORYLINES FOR TODAY’S GAME

1.  Goalie Guild – Will it be Ben Bishop or Robin Lehner in the net.  It is a tough choice and a good problem to have.  I am sure Paul MacLean would like to give each goalie a start in Craig Anderson‘s absence.  Lehner has carried Binghamton and probably deserves a reward for taking the demotion so well, and Bishop has played well in his last 3 appearances. On the plus side, I’m not sure there can be a wrong decision.

2. The invasion of Leafs Nation – With the Ottawa Senators attempt to “Take Back The Bank” by getting tickets into the hands of Sens fans instead of Leafs and Habs fans backfiring when the program became public, it will be interesting to see how fans of both sides behave tonight.

3.  Build Some Hatred – As passive as last weeks game was, you have to ask if this is still a big rivalry, and if there is something that will happen on the ice to bring the Battle of Ontario back from just  a minor skirmish to an all-out war that made Ottawa-Toronto games so entertaining 10 years ago.

PARTING SHOT

The Senators have been doing what they have to do to win games, and that is win ugly.  With two more games on this season-defining homestand, they have taken 4 of a possible 4 points, and before they head on the road for 7 of  8 games, they need to put some more points in the bank.

Jan 23 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Marian Gaborik (10) celebrates scoring the game winning goal against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden. Rangers won 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

1. It was a good night to be a Toronto Maple Leafs player named James, a bad night to be named Joffrey.  James Reimer made 28 saves while James van Riemsdyk scored his first two goals as a Maple Leaf in Toronto’s surprising 5-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  However, it was good news, bad news as all-star winger Joffrey Lupul was hit by a shot from Dion Phaneuf and left the game with a fractured forearm that could cost the winger a couple of months on the IR.  Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of the season as the Pens lost their home opener.
2. The New York Rangers used a hat trick from sniper Marian Gaborik to get their first win of the season.  Gaborik’s third of the game was the overtime winner in a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins.  Dougie Hamilton got an assist, which was his first NHL point in the losing cause.
3. Zach Kassian was the hero as the Vancouver Canucks posted their first win of the season, a 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames.  Kassian scored the first goal of the game and then the winner in the 5th round of the shootout.  Corey Schneider bounced back from a shaky first start to make 34 saves and also stopped 4 of the 5 Calgary shooters in the shootout.
4. Steve Sullivan had the hat trick and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had the other two as the Phoenix Coyotes overpowered the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1.  The bad news for the Coyotes was that Vezina trophy finalist left the game after 9 minutes with a lower body injury apparently suffered in the pre-game warmup.

There are 10 games on tap for Thursday night, highlighted by the Ottawa Senators visting the Florida Panthers. Other games of interest include the Rangers taking on the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings looking for their first win of the season against the Edmonton Oilers.

Check back tomorrow for a complete recap of all the action.