Confidence is riding high for the Ottawa Senators after their big 3-0 shutout win last night against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. With the win, the Senators now have a 14-13-2 record.
Tonight, the Senators will conclude their fourth back-to-back of the season as they play the Pittsburgh Penguins. With the current standings in the Eastern Conference, tonight's game adds pressure for both teams.
Senators close out back-to-back against Penguins
The Senators host the Penguins at Canadian Tire Centre with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Tonight is the first of three meetings between the Senators and Penguins this season, with tonight being the one and only game in Ottawa.
Last night, the Senators earned an impressive win in Raleigh against the Hurricanes to start December with a 4-1-1 record. Linus Ullmark recorded a 32-save shutout to improve to 5-0-1 in his last six starts.
The Senators saw two long goal droughts end in the win against the Hurricanes. Shane Pinto scored two goals to end his 19-game goal drought, and Nick Jensen ended his 15-game goal drought and added an assist as well.
As for the Penguins, they come into tonight's game with a 13-14-4 record. Although the Penguins are currently in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins have won six of their last eight games. The most recent game for the Penguins was a dominating 9-2 road win on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
Sidney Crosby is at it again this season with leading the Penguins with 22 assists and 30 points; Rickard Rakell leads the Penguins with 13 goals.
The Penguins will forever be an arch rival to the Senators with their playoff history. However, tonight's game adds pressure for both teams. The Senators and Penguins each have 30 points in a tight Eastern Conference race. A win is needed for both teams to gain ground on one another and remain close in the playoff race in the East.
Tonight is the final home game before a nine-game road trip for the Senators.