Ottawa Senators @ New Jersey Devils; Gameday Preview

After exploding for seven goals against  the Coyotes, the Ottawa Senators head to New Jersey for a date with the Devils.

Ottawa: 20-19-5-4

New Jersey: 19-22-3-6

7:00 PM EST

Prudential Center

Newark, New Jersey

TV: TSN5, RDS; Radio: TSN 1200

MATCH-UP HISTORY

This will be the third meeting of the season between the Senators and Devils. Ottawa has taken three of a possible four points in the previous games as they lost 3-2 in overtime on October 25th in Ottawa and won 2-0 on December 17th in New Jersey. Kyle Turris leas the Senators with two goals against he Devils while  Bobby Ryan, Erik Karlsson, and Milan Michalek also have two points apiece. Damon Severson  is New Jersey’s leading scorer against Ottawa with two points, and Jaromir Jagr, the seemingly ageless wonder, had the overtime winner against the Sens in the first meeting of the season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

JAROMIR JAGR, NJD: He may be less than two weeks from turning 43, but Jagr can still make a big impact in an NHL game. He’s second on the Devils in scoring with 26 points, only one back of Adam Henrique for the team lead. With New Jersey sitting two points back of the Ottawa Senators, and 13 points out of the final wild card spot, there’s an excellent chance Jagr could be traded to a contender before or at the trade deadline. With that in mind, he could be extra-motivated to put on a show.

BOBBY RYAN, OTT: Ryan has been spectacular for the last two months, even if Ottawa has struggled overall. Not only does he lead the Senators with 37 points, but he has scored 24 points in his last 23 games. He’s playing up to the contract extension he signed earlier this season, and he already has two points against the Devils this season.

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. THE (NEW) BIG LINE KEEPS GOING: In the last two games, the line of Clarke MacArthur, Mika Zibanejad, and Ryan have combined for four goals and nine points. Go figure, as the thoughts of taking MacArthur off of Turris’ wing earlier in the season would have seemed asinine. If the Senators are going to continue to fight against the odds and get back into the playoff picture, then they’ll need their new top line to continue to produce.

2. HOW WILL KYLE GET HIS GROOVE BACK: Despite sitting third on the team in scoring, and being on pace for another 50+ point season, Kyle Turris hasn’t had a great season. He only has nine goals, and his shooting percentage of 7.3 leaves much to be desired from a top six forward. Part of it is bad luck, but it’s up to Turris to fight through this and put up some secondary scoring behind the new big line.

3. RUN (WITH IT), ROBIN, RUN: With Craig Anderson still nursing a hand injury, Robin Lehner will get his third consecutive start. He was solid against the Coyotes, stopping 35 of the 37 shots he faced, and the Sens will need him to get into a groove as they wait for Anderson to return. This is also an opportunity for Lehner to show he’s more than a mere backup despite his struggles in the last few months of the season.

PROJECTED LINE-UPS

Asides from Lehner starting, defenceman Chris Phillips will sit tonight. This will allow him to break Daniel Alfredsson’s record of most games as a Senator, which he currently sits tied for at 1178, at home on Thursday against the Washington Capitals. Alex Chiasson is also expected to be out tonight as:

UPDATE: According to the Ottawa Senators’ website, the lineups will be:

Ottawa

Forwards:

Clarke MacArthur – Mika Zibanejad – Bobby Ryan

Mike Hoffman – Kyle Turris – Curtis Lazar

Milan Michalek – David Legwand – Mark Stone

Erik Condra – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Chris Neil

Defence:

Marc Methot – Karlsson

Jared Cowen – Cody Ceci

Patrick Wiercioch – Mark Borowiecki

Goalies:

Robin Lehner

Andrew Hammond

Scratches: Chris Phillips, Alex Chiasson

New Jersey

Forwards:

Dainius Zubrus – Mike Cammalleri – Jaromir Jagr

Patrik Elias – Travis Zajac – Martin Havlat

Adam Henrique – Scott Gomez – Steve Bernier

Tuomo Ruutu – Jacob Josefson – Jordin Tootoo

Defence:

Andy Greene – Adam Larsson

Jon Merrill – Marek Zidlicky

Mark Fraser – Peter Harrold

Goalies:

Cory Schneider

Keith Kinkaid

Scratches: Eric Gelinas, Michael Ryder

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the game!