Ottawa Senators @ Florida Panthers: Game 3 Preview

The Senators will be taking on what can only be considered the less dangerous of the two Florida teams. After winning what was expected to be the toughest game of their three game road trip, the Senators will attempt to get their second win before returning to Ottawa for their home opener.

Ottawa Senators (1-1-0)

at

Florida Panthers (0-1-1)

BB&T Center

TV: TSN5   Radio: TSN1200

MATCHUP HISTORY:

The Senators were 2-1-1 against the Panthers last season, with both teams scoring an even 11 goals over the course of the four games. Even though both are teams that aren’t expected to go too far this season, games against division rivals are important, wherever you may be in the standings.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA – Honestly, have a look at the Panthers roster. How many exciting players are on the team? Not a whole lot. This is the guy that sells the tickets when they visit other cities, and for good reason. He may not be close to superstar status quite yet, but he’s headed in that direction.

Mark Stone, OTT – Paul MacLean has been making a few changes with the lines, and has put Stone with Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur. This can only be beneficial for Stone.

TOP 3 STORYLINES: 

1. DEFENCE, DEFENCE, DEFENCE – MacLean has made a number of changes with the forwards, but seems set on his D pairings. Sure, Sens fans could give him the benefit of the doubt at the beginning of the season when he put Jared Cowen with Erik Karlsson on the top pairing, and decided to scratch Patrick Wiercioch. But when it looks like this will be happening for the third straight game, after witnessing the past 120 minutes of hockey, it’s obvious he either has a screw loose, or is working on some master plan that we don’t understand.

2. Step it Up, Bobby – I’m not sure if Ryan is happy with the line changes, but as long as his ice time and performance don’t take a huge hit, it could be very beneficial. Spreading out the scorers means the Sens can beat most teams’ bottom six, and compete with their top six. Ryan needs to step his game up, and new line mates could be exactly what’s needed.

3. And VS The Lehner – While  MacLean has said that Anderson is the team’s number one goalie, that could change very quickly. I could see either one end up with the starting job after a few weeks. Every night is a chance for either of them to prove that they can help the team, and that will do nothing but help the Senators.