The Ottawa Senators are coming off a overtime victory over the Avalanche last night. Now they will look to sweep the NHL Global Series in the second half of the back to back.
Going into the game coach Guy Boucher announced that Zack Smith will be out for three weeks with a dislocated thumb. As a result, Nick Paul will enter the lineup for the Ottawa Senators.
Forward
At forward the Sens will use 11 forwards once again. They will be: Chris DiDomenico, Matt Duchene, Mike Hoffman, Ryan Dzingel, Derick Brassard, Mark Stone, Tom Pyatt, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Alex Burrows, Nick Paul, and Nate Thompson.
Defence
ON defence the Sens will use seven defencemen. They will be: Fredrik Claesson, Erik Karlsson, Dion Phaneuf, Johnny Oduya, Chris Wideman, Cody Ceci, and Ben Harpur.
Goal
In goal Mike Condon will get the start. This is expected as it’s the second half of a back to back. However, it’s also important to give Anderson some rest in general. He hasn’t played particularly well to start the season and giving Condon more starts may be a good thing.
Next: Ottawa Senators Defeat Avalanche In Duchene’s Debut
A Focus On Matt Duchene
The main story for the game today will once again be Matt Duchene. He played relatively well yesterday, but it was obvious that he was a little nervous. It’s understandable considering his first game with the Sens was against his old team and the game was in Sweden. There were a lot factors to go into his nerves. However, in his second game he will be expected to perform. He had a lot of chances to score yesterday but failed to register a point. Today all eyes will be on him to see him he can get things going offensively. I’d expect a strong game out of him today.