Game 26 Preview and Open Thread: Ottawa Senators @ Calgary Flames
The Senators look to take their 3rd win in 4 games against the Flames this season
Despite the 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators are still a very respectable 6-4-0 over their past 10 games. They won two out of three games at home against the Calgary Flames, and now it’s Calgary’s turn to host a few games. The Senators haven’t been world-beaters, but they have been quite solid over these past 10 games, and they’ll look to add to that recent success against the Flames tonight.
Here is what the Senators lineup will look like tonight:
Paul - White - Dadonov
Stützle - Anisimov - Batherson
Dzingel - Tierney - Watson
Chabot - Zub
Coburn - Zaitsev
Brännström - Gudbranson
Murray
And here is what the Flames will look like:
Gaudreau - Monahan - Leivo
Lucic - Backlund - Mangiapane
Nordstrom - Ryan - Ritchie
Giordano - Andersson
Hanifin - Tanev
Valimaki - Kylington
Rittich
Player Stats
Game 26 | Ottawa | Senators | Calgary | Flames |
---|---|---|---|---|
Category | Player | # | Player | # |
Goals | Brady Tkachuk/Drake Batherson | 9 | Johnny Gaudreau | 9 |
Assists | Thomas Chabot | 12 | Elias Lindholm | 13 |
Points | Drake Batherson | 18 | Johnny Gaudreau | 20 |
Shots | Brady Tkachuk | 108 | Matthew Tkachuk | 79 |
Time on Ice/GP | Thomas Chabot | 25:32 | Mark Giordano | 21:26 |
Team Stats
Game 26 | Ottawa | Senators | Calgary | Flames |
---|---|---|---|---|
Category | # | Rank | # | Rank |
Goals/GP | 2.64 | T-22nd | 2.52 | 27th |
Goals Against/GP | 3.8 | 31st | 3.04 | 22nd |
Shots/GP | 32.5 | 3rd | 29.3 | 21st |
Shots Against/GP | 31.5 | T-23rd | 31.1 | 21st |
Powerplay % | 14.9 | 25th | 21.7 | 15th |
Penalty Kill % | 73.4 | T-25th | 78.5 | 16th |
Corsi % (5v5 SVA) | 50.02 | 11th | 50.75 | 9th |
xGF % (5v5 SVA) | 49.02 | 21st | 51.24 | 10th |
Game Notes:
- It’s too bad that Drake Batherson couldn’t break the team record for most games in a row with a goal, but six games in a row is still incredibly impressive. He had many chances last game so I’m still counting on him to be electric again tonight.
- Erik Gudbranson remains in the lineup despite having some of his worst games recently. Overall he’s been ineffective this season, and him staying in the lineup flies in the face of the “accountability” theme that the team always talks about. If he makes the same mistakes (and more) than players like Brannstrom and Wolanin, he should be sitting more often. DJ had this to say about Gudbranson:/
DJ Smith - Gudbranson is a big part of this team. The guys love him and you ask other teams if they want to play against him. The answer is no.
— TSN 1200 (@TSN1200) March 4, 2021
- Ryan Dzingel draws into the lineup for the first time since being re-acquired by the Senators. I certainly never thought I’d see him playing in Ottawa again, and who knows if he’ll even be here past this season. He’s starting on the fourth line, and I don’t expect him to play a huge role on this team due to the fact that Tkachuk, Stützle, and Paul appear to be ahead of him on the LW depth chart.
- Mike Reilly is out today and is day-to-day. It’s disappointing to see Christian Wolanin not get the opportunity to come in, especially since Bradyon Coburn doesn’t have a future with this team. I wonder how much longer of a leash Wolanin has with the Senators, which I can’t believe I’m saying so soon.
- Although Daccord isn’t starting, it seems like he will get some more starts under DJ Smith. He was quite good in his 2nd career start, stopping 33/35 shots, so I hope he can give Matt Murray more rest moving forward.
- The Flames are 2-5-1 over their past 8 games and still sit just outside of a playoff spot. That just means wins against them will be even sweeter, knowing how desperately they need two points.
- Andrew Mangiapane had a goal and an assist in the Flames win on Saturday, and he’s someone who has gone under the radar since 2019. If you’re unfamiliar with him, keep an eye on #88 because he’s quite a fun player./
Puck drop is at 9pm EST, and you can watch on TSN5/RDS or follow along on TSN1200 radio.