Game 46 Preview and Open Thread: Chicago Blackhawks @ Ottawa Senators

Has there ever been a quieter losing streak? The Ottawa Senators look to stop the bleeding tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, after losing their last seven straight. For Chicago, this game kicks off their eastern Canadian road trip for the next week.

The Sens are finally starting to regain some health to their defence corps. Mark Borowiecki and Nikita Zaitsev are both expected to make their return tonight, and as a result Andreas Englund passed through waivers yesterday en route to Belleville. Marcus Högberg will also make his third start in a row.

Here are the full line combos, given by the Sens:

Game Notes

• Zack Smith returns to Ottawa for the first time since being traded. It’s crazy to think back to how long he was with the team — his 612 games is 9th in franchise history.  At 31 years old, however, his season with the Blackhawks has been a downturn from his last few seasons.
• This also means that Artem Anisimov faces the Blackhawks for the first time since being traded. His time with them was significantly shorter than Smith’s with Ottawa, but he put up three consecutive 20-goals seasons, including a Stanley Cup.
• Speaking of former players, Robin Lehner is in net tonight for Chicago. He’s been red hot with a 92.3% save percentage, and given the weakness of Chicago’s defence, his 13.03 GSAA (goals saved above average) is 6th in the NHL.
• Furthermore, Lehner follows the trend of former Sens goalies playing extremely well against Ottawa. In his ten games post-trade, he has a record of 7-0-3 (zero regulation losses!), with a save percentage of 94.1%.
• This is the Sens’ third last game before the All-Star break. Not to rain on Anthony Duclair’s parade, but he’s now gone the last seven games without a goal, marking only two helpers in that span.
• Game time is 7:30 PM, and can be watched on TSN5./

Player Stats

Team Stats