Ottawa Senators Back In It As They Take On New York Islanders
The Ottawa Senators continue to push for a playoff spot after a big win over the Montreal Canadians as they face the New York Islanders tonight down in Long Island for one final time.
Ottawa Senators
31-24-11
VS
New York Islanders
43-22-4
TV: TSN5, RDS Radio: TSN1200
MATCHUP HISTORY
Ottawa has a record of 0-1-1 against the Islanders this season, getting swept in the home-and-home in December. The first of the two was an overtime loss, in which Mike Hoffman opened the scoring, and Clarke MacArthur tied the game in the third just to have Thomas Hickey score the OT winner. The second game was a regulation loss, with Mika Zibanejad scoring the lone Senators goal.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
John Tavares, NYI – This should come as no surprise, as Tavares leads the league in scoring. He’s always been considered a very dangerous player, but now that the Islanders seem like they just may be contenders, he’s also on a dangerous team.
Erik Karlsson, OTT – Coming off a three point game against the Montreal Canadiens, it’s easy to tell that Karlsson is hungry for more. He leads the team in scoring, and the league in goals by defencemen. Watch for him to put up a couple of points against the Islanders.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. WHICH ANDY? – Chances are Dave Cameron won’t want to start Andrew Hammond a second night in a row, but it’s hard to keep him on the bench when he was able to come back and perform the way he did. With games being as important as they are right now, choosing who will play is definitely a tough choice.
2. SCORE. A LOT – While the Islanders are one of the best offensive teams, their defense isn’t quite as impressive. If the Senators can play decent defense and score a couple quick ones to take advantage of the game in the first, they have a legitimate chance.
3. FOCUS ON THE GAME – The players need to focus on the game they’re playing. Around this time of year, the playoff race is extremely tight and is closely watched by players around the league. They can easily get distracted. The Senators need to focus on nothing but the game if they want 2 points.