The Ottawa Senators head west for the final time this season as they go to face a team fighting for their playoff lives.
(28-18-13, 69 points) 6th Atlantic Divison
vs
(32-26-11, 75 points) 5th Central Division
3:00 PM ET
American Airlines Center
TV: Rogers Sportsnet; RADIO: TSN1200
MATCHUP HISTORY
Jamie Benn had the winner in a shootout as the Stars beat the Senators 4-3 on Nov 3rd in Ottawa. This will be the final meeting of the season. Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza and Bobby Ryan each had a goal and an assist in the losing effort, with Kyle Turris adding two helpers. It was also the game where Craig Anderson left on a stretcher after a collision with Valeri Nichushkin in overtime.
Nov 3, 2013; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Dallas Stars right wing
Valeri Nichushkin(43) collides with Ottawa Senators goalie
Craig Anderson(41) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Stars defeated the Senators 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
LAST GAMES
For the Senators it was a better showing Thursday than it was Tuesday, but the result was the same. They lost 5-4 to the Tampa Bay Lighting to extend their losing streak to 5 games. Dallas has also fallen out of the wildcard spot with a 4 game winless streak, the last loss coming to the red hot Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on Thursday.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ales Hemsky, OTT – Hemsky has been dynamic since joining the Senators on March 5th. He has been adding dollars and years to his next contract with every game, and his highlight reel goal on Thursday has been the talk of the NHL for the past couple of days. He has 2 goals and 6 assists in 7 games as a Senator.
Tyler Seguin, DAL – After a frustrating season in Boston that led to the trade to the Stars, Seguin has had a comeback season and is 4th in league scoring and has topped the 30 goal plateau for the first time. He is also a contender for the Lady Byng with just 4 PIMs all season.
TOP 3 STORYLINES FOR THE GAME
1. Falling Stars – The Stars are 0-3-1 in their current skid that has them 4 points out of a playoff spot right now, with one game in hand. They need to right the ship now and avoid falling back even further.
2. Unfamiliar Situation – The Senators find themselves in the situation where they are the slump-buster and the team others are looking forward to facing to get back on track. That is how the Senators though of the Flames and Oilers early this month but they jumped up and bit the Senators in the butt.
3. Put the “D” in Big D – The Senators defense has gone from bad to atrocious lately, giving up 21 goals in their last 4 games. Every man on the roster has some blame to shoulder for this, and it cannot be pointed at any players in particular. It also has to change immediately for the Senators to have any success.