Game Preview #28: Anaheim Ducks vs Ottawa Senators

Senators looking to build momentum after winning at Nashville

The Senators are coming off a badly needed win 3-2 win in Nashville and will be looking to continue their momentum against the league-worst Anaheim Ducks Monday night.

The win in Nashville was impressive and badly needed as they snapped a two-game losing streak. The win means the Sens are now 3-1-1 in December, but they still have a ways to go to recover from their 7-game losing streak earlier this season. The Senators won 5-1 in the first matchup between these two teams this season. If the Sens want a shot to make the playoffs, winning games against the NHL’s bottom teams will be crucial.

Tonight’s game will also feature the induction of defensemen Wade Redden‘s induction into the Senators’ Ring of Honor.

Lineup Notes

Here are the lineups from this morning’s skate:

Alex DeBrincat was notably not on the ice for an undisclosed reason, along with Cam Talbot. While coach DJ Smith wouldn’t divulge the reasons for both, he did tell the media that one is dealing with an illness while the other is dealing with an injury. If DeBrincat can’t go, it appears Gambrell will be bumped up to the second line.

The good news is that Josh Norris returned to the ice. While his timetable for his return to game action is still unknown, this is a promising sign that it may come sooner than expected.

On the defensive side, it appears the Senators will not change the current pairings. The Senator’s top pairing of Chabot and Zaitsev has turned around their seasons after bad starts, giving hope that this unit can hold up while they await the return of Artem Zub.

Offensive Leaders

Points: ANA – Troy Terry (27) / OTT – Brady Tkachuk (31)

Goals:  ANA – Troy Terry (11) / OTT – Brady Tkachuk (12)

Assists: ANA – Troy Terry (16) / OTT – Brady Tkachuk (19)

+/-: ANA – Sam Carrick & Jayson Megna (0) / OTT – Mathieu Joseph & Derick Brassard (+3)

Shots: ANA – Troy Terry (89) / OTT – Brady Tkachuk (123)

Hits: ANA – Simon Benoit (62) / OTT – Austin Watson & Brady Tkachuk (69)

Starting Goalies

John Gibson -ANA

2022-2023 Season Stats: 21 GP, 5-13-3, 0.894 SV%, 3.99 GAA

Gibson has seen the most shots (729) in the NHL, leading him to have league-highs in saves (652) and goals (77). The 29-year-old veteran has allowed a whopping 11 goals in his last 10 periods. He was pulled from their previous game due to an illness but appears to be fully recovered for their matchup tonight.

Cam Talbot – OTT -QUESTIONABLE

2022-2023 Season Stats: 12 GP, 5-7-0, 0.909 SV%, 2.77 GAA

Cam Talbot is coming off an incredible performance in the Senators’ win at Nashville. However, he is listed as questionable for tonight. Coach DJ Smith did not share a reason but hinted that it is either due to illness or due to minor injury. While he missed most of the early season with an injury, he has had some impressive performances and seems to be settling in nicely. Tablot started against the Ducks in November, winning by allowing just one goal and saving 96.9% of shot

Anton Forsberg – OTT

2022-2023 Season Stats: 14 GP, 5-7-2, 0.908 SV%, 3.24 GAA

Forsberg has been stellar this season, especially when Talbot was out to begin the season. He’s had a decent December, averaging 2.41 goals per game and saving 94.6% of shots in two and a half games. It’s been a promising bounce back after a November that saw him average over four goals per game. Forsberg has faced the Ducks four times in his career, losing all four and allowing 3.82 goals per game.

Key Trends & Stats

Anaheim Ducks

• Two 6-game losing streaks this season
• 2-11-3 on the road
• 1-3-1 over their last five games
• Allowed five or more goals in four of their last five games
• Bottom three in the NHL in goals per game (2.43), goals allowed per game (4.21), power play percentage (15%), and penalty kill percentage (66.7%)
• Allowing 4.5 goals per game over their last five

Ottawa Senators

• 6-8-0 at home
• 5-4-1 over their last ten games
• Outscored 27-30 over their last ten games
• Second best power play percentage over their last five games (36.4%)
• 53% face-off percentage is fourth best in the NHL