Ottawa Senators @ Tampa Bay Lightning; Gameday Preview

The Senators 2nd game of the season won’t come easy, as they come across the Tampa Bay Lightning; an eastern conference power house.

Ottawa 0 – 1 – 0

at

Tampa Bay 1 – 0 – 0

Amalie Arena

TV: Sportsnet One Radio: TSN 1200

MATCHUP HISTORY

Last season, Ottawa took 2 against their division opponent with Tampa taking the other 3. Since Ben Bishop was traded to Tampa in 2013, Tampa has been on up-swing while Ottawa has been on the down. Bishop had Ottawa’s number last season and look for that to be a storyline come game time.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Steven Stamkos, TBL – The easy choice, one of the most dynamic players in the league. When he’s on the ice you can’t help but watch. It will be key to eliminate as many chances from Stamkos as possible.

Alex Chiasson, OTT – I’ve beaten it to death on twitter, but every time Alex Chiasson has suited up for the Senators.. he’s scored. 1 inter-squad scrimmage, 3 pre-season games, and now 1 regular season game. His “wheel-house”seems to be right in front of the goalie. Look for him to dominate that area, looking to net another.

TOP 3 STORYLINES 

1. Battle Between the Pipes – Ben Bishop will take on Robin Lehner tonight, who gets his fist start of the year. When Ottawa was faced with the decision of Bishop or Lehner in 2013 they opted for Lehner, who at 23 is still young enough to become a future starter but does not have the track record Bishop has now.

2. Defence – Ottawa will be going up against one of the most underrated defensive cores in the league. Victor Hedman is the big piece to Tampa’s blue-line with players like Matt Carle, Anton Stralman, and Radko Gudas backing him up. With no changes to the Ottawa lineup, how will Jared Cowen, Cody Ceci and Chris Phillips look when compared to Tampa’s blue-line?

3. Don’t Have a Quiet GameBobby Ryan had a quiet game vs Nashville, this game he’ll be looked at to provide offence for the Senators, while Erik Karlsson was another who had a quiet outing. He did not record a point and was a -2 to Nashville,. Karlsson will be looking for his first point as Senators captain and hopes to have a big game.

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