Game-day Preview #40: Edmonton Oilers @ Ottawa Senators

Ottawa looks for their first victory against the Oilers this season in the first half of a back-to-back

This young Ottawa Senators squad has been able to remain competitive within the Canadian division except for their struggles with the Edmonton Oilers, currently rocking a 0-7-0 record against the North Division’s 3rd place team.

Player to Watch: Connor Brown

The hottest player in the Senators lineup over the last week has to be Brown, he’s starting to finally capitalize on his scoring chances and now has a goal in each of his past four games.

Brown is second to only Brady Tkachuk amongst Senators forwards in ice-time averaging 18:12 per game this season. The veteran forward is relied upon in every aspect of the game, playing on the top power-play and penalty-kill units. His 10 goals rank 4th on the Senators and his 20 points place him in 4th place as well amongst his teammates, Brown regularly goes under-the-radar to the casual fan but his impact doesn’t go unnoticed to his teammates and coaches. Players who can play on both special teams units at a high-level and contribute at even strength are a premium.

News & Notes

• Ottawa is likely to ice the same lineup as their previous game with the possibility that Erik Brannstrom might draw in tonight, D.J. Smith announced in his morning skate presser:

• The Senators made a surprising move in the goaltending room, demoting goaltending coach Pierre Groulx to a development role and hiring Zac Bierk to fill the position

Starting Goalies

Marcus Hogberg

2020-21 Season Stats: 10 GP, 2-5-0, 0.859 SV%, 4.34 GAA

Before his injury that sidelined him for nearly two months, Hogberg was one of the worst goaltenders in the whole league, his -1.274 Goals Saved Above Expected ranks dead last and one spot ahead of fellow Senators goalie Matt Murray.

Hogberg appeared in 2 games with Belleville during his conditioning stint, winning both games contests and posting a 0.950 save percentage and a 1.51 goals-against-average.

Mikko Koskinen

2020-21 Season Stats: 20 GP, 9-11-0, 0.902 SV%, 3.15 GAA

Koskinen and Mike Smith have formed a nice tandem so far this season for Edmonton and they’re one of the main reason that this Oilers squad is trending upwards. Koskinen last played on March 30th in a 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, stopping 28/32 shots.

All stats via Money Puck