Game 26 Preview & Open Thread: Ottawa Senators @ Minnesota Wild

It’s a US Thanksgiving weekend matinee out of Minnesota!

Craig Anderson has been placed on IR, so Marcus Hogberg gets to stay with the team for at least a week. Anders Nilsson is getting today’s start, but Hogberg might get the start tomorrow in Calgary. Smith did confirm that he would play at some point on the road trip. The one other roster change was Max Verroneau, who was sent back down to Belleville yesterday.

Given the start time, there was no morning skate. Smith confirmed that Namestnikov and Anisimov were back in. He also said that while Ennis didn’t practice yesterday he’s expected to be in the lineup, and Beaudin is out. Here are the expected lineups based on yesterday’s skate:

Game Notes

• First up, best wishes to Jenn Dubnyk and family as she deals with some unidentified medical issues. Devan Dubnyk has missed several games to be there for her and their kids. Serious medical issues are scary enough, even more-so when there isn’t a clear diagnoses
• #TeamTank or #TeamNoTank, this one could matter a lot. The Wild are a single point up on Ottawa in the standings, with equal games played
• There are a few goal droughts going on with the Forwards. Colin White has gone eight games, Connor Brown has gone 13, Nick Paul has gone 14, and Chris Tierney has gone 16. Paul has cooled down overall too - not just pointless in his last seven, but not even on the ice for a goal for in that stretch
• The Power Play continues to stink, badly. This past week, the team generated more shots while on the PK than on the PP
• The last Wild - Sens game was a Canadian Thanksgiving matinee... hopefully that’s where the similarities end
• Final reminder: This is a 4PM Eastern start! Catch it on RDS2, TSN5 or TSN1200/

Here are some stats for tonight’s matchup from NHL.com and Natural Stat Trick:

Player Stats

Team Stats