Senators (9-5-4) vs Blues (12-6-1)
Canadian Tire Centre
TV: RDS, TSN 5 Radio: TSN 1200
The Senators will try to get things back on track with a win against the St Louis Blues. The Blues have lost their last two, but are still a very impressive 7-3 in their past 10 games.
MATCHUP HISTORY
This will be the first game between these two this season. The Senators won both matchups last season, winning them in overtime and in the shootout. They haven’t played all that often recently, just four games in the past four seasons, both winning two of those games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Vladimir Tarasenko, STL – I think this is the obvious choice. Tarasenko is quickly becoming the face of the franchise. Chances are you’ve seen a couple of his goals being replayed over and over on highlights at some point in the past couple of years.
Bobby Ryan, OTT – With goals in back-to-back games, Ryan looks like he’s ready to step things up, no matter what line he’s stuck with that doesn’t include Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur. He hasn’t looked like himself this season, though has avoided most criticism from fans as they’re still happy about the contract extension.
TOP 3 STORYLINES
1. Good Luck, Shooters – Both teams have very solid goaltending duos. No matter who’s in net for either team, expect the win to go to whichever goalie makes stands on his head the most, because we’re pretty much guaranteed to see some great saves on both ends.
2. Kids Taking Over – One bright spot for the Senators has been the kid line: Mark Stone (22), Curtis Lazar (19), and Mike Hoffman (24). All three are rookies this year, and have arguably been the team’s most consistent line. The Blues know all about young, talented players. Their top three scorers are Tarasenko (22), Jaden Schwartz (22), and Jori Lehtera (26). Lehtera may not really be all that young, but he is in his first ever NHL season, rocking 18 points in 18 games. Not bad at all.
3. Curse of the Afternoon Game – While so much went wrong last season, a lot of it was blames on the ridiculous number of afternoon games. This may seem silly, but the Senators played like a completely different team when they hit the ice before 7PM. This will be the first of very few afternoon games of the season.