Game 39 Hub: Ottawa Senators @ Detroit Red Wings

After three long weeks and nine games, tonight is finally the last game of the Ottawa Senators' gruelling road trip. Yes, technically they've been able to go home twice, but nine games in a row on the road is never easy. They started very strong with three wins against Seattle, Calgary, and Vancouver, but they've gone 1-4-0 over the past five games, which has let other teams behind them catch up. These are the standings as of this morning, with an incredible number of teams in the mix:

Tonight's game in Detroit is massive not only to get the Senators back on track but also because the Red Wings have gotten hot and Ottawa cannot afford to let them be tied in points. Here are the projected lines:

Forsberg is expected to start:

And this is how Detroit's lines look:

Game Notes:

• Jacob Bernard-Docker was injured yesterday in practice and it didn't look great. They announced he'll be out 5-7 weeks with a high ankle sprain, so Nikolas Matinpalo will get a chance to prove himself on the third pairing.
• The Red Wings have won four games in a row, putting themselves in a much better spot than before the Christmas break. They're still a very flawed team though as you'll see in the team stats below, but no teams can be underestimated when every point is critical.
• Ottawa has had Detroit's number in recent years, winning the previous four matchups and 13-2-1 over their last 16 games against the Red Wings.
• Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, and Alex DeBrincat are all on hot streaks, with Raymond at three goals and five assists in the last five games, Larkin at four goals and three assists in five games, and DeBrincat at four goals and three assists in four games.
• Meanwhile, the Senators offense has been incredibly cold. They have just eight goals in their last five games, and they only have more than three goals once in their last 10. The flu bug has been going around the team though, so hopefully they will look more lively as soon as tonight.
• With a win tonight, Ottawa will be 5-4-0 on this road trip, which would definitely be a success. But if they lose and go 4-5-0 (or 4-4-1), it would be fine but look much worse considering they won their first three. Let's hope they end on a strong note.

Team Stats:

Player Stats: