Game 24 Preview and Open Thread: Ottawa Senators vs New York Islanders
Can they make it 4 in a row?
The Ottawa Senators are on a winning streak, I repeat, they are on a THREE GAME WINNING STREAK. In those three games, the Sens really showed how well they can be when both their top players and the goaltending click! They even made it exciting giving us a regular win, an overtime win and a shootout win!
Tonight they face a team that hasn’t won in 11 games. The New York Islanders will come desperate to end their losing streak and it could be a dangerous combination for a team that is now riding a confident wave.
The Senators will be playing the second game of back to back while the Islanders had last night off after a shootout loss to the Blackhawks on Sunday.
Tonight’s lineup is expected to mimic that of last night with Gustavsson making the start in net.
Game Notes:
- The New York Islanders, just like the Sens were hit hard with COVID-19 which is a main reason why they’re on the 11-game losing streak. If the Sens allow them to get going, it will be very hard to contain such a hungry team
- Jean-Gabriel Pageau should be getting one big standing ovation tonight as he comes back home. He was a fan favourite here for his entire tenure and fans will be happy to welcome him back.
- Anton Forsberg has emerged from the ashes to tap into a whole other level of play that we haven’t seen from him before. With Gustavsson expected to take over net duties tonight, is there more pressure on him now to keep the winning streak going?
- How good have Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle been the past few games?
- The Sens have every reason to win this game and they can, it’s just a matter of them focusing on their play rather than the Islanders’ losing streak.
- The game tonight will be broadcast on TSN but with a special first time appearance. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Cheryl Pounder will be making her broadcasting debut as a colour commentator for tonight’s game. TSN has been absolutely great with its game coverage quality and Pounder’s addition should only make tonight’s broadcast even better.
- If the Sens do make it 4 in a row tonight, is this rebuild really over? You know we have to ask the question.
- Catch the game at 7:00PM broadcast on TSN5, RDS2 or listen live at TSN1200/
Game Stats
Player Stats
| Game 25 | Ottawa | Senators | Tampa Bay | Lightning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Player | # | Player | # |
| Goals | Josh Norris | 11 | Steven Stamkos | 13 |
| Assists | Drake Batherson | 13 | Victor Hedman | 22 |
| Points | Drake Batherson | 21 | Steven Stamkos | 32 |
| Shots | Josh Norris, Brady Tkachuk | 65 | Victor Hedman | 69 |
| Time on Ice/GP | Thomas Chabot | 27:26 | Victor Hedman | 25:00 |
Team Stats
| Game 26 | Ottawa | Senators | Florida | Panthers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | # | Rank | # | Rank |
| Goals/GP | 2.64 | 26th | 3.7 | 2nd |
| Goals Against/GP | 3.72 | 32nd | 2.7 | 12th |
| Shots/GP | 28.4 | 29th | 36.1 | 1st |
| Shots Against/GP | 34.1 | 30th | 30.6 | 11th |
| Powerplay % | 19.10% | 15th | 18.80% | 17th |
| Penalty Kill % | 75.30% | 27th | 81.00% | 16th |
| Corsi % (5v5 SVA) | 44.81% | 31st | 57.13% | 1st |
| xGF % (5v5 SVA) | 45.20% | 31st | 56.26% | 1st |