Preseason Game 2 Preview & Open Thread: Toronto Maple Leafs @ Ottawa Senators

After winning their opening pre-season game yesterday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators are set for a rematch tonight in Ottawa.

Both teams are set to play completely different rosters, with a handful more regulars expected to suit up on either side. For Ottawa, that includes young stars Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk and Colin White, while their competition will include the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly.

A handful of players will be debuting against their former team as well, given the amount of player swaps the Sens and Leafs made this past off-season. That includes Ron Hainsey, Connor Brown, Michael Carcone and Tyler Ennis on Ottawa, and Ben Harpur and Cody Ceci for Toronto.

Here’s the projected lineup from Brent Wallace:

Craig Anderson will start in goal, although it’s unknown whether Filip Gustavsson will take over at some point like Marcus Högberg did yesterday.

Game Notes

• The defence corps is a total switch from yesterday’s game, with a bunch of veterans this time instead of rookies.
• The player I’m most interested to watch is Logan Brown. His skillset became very well-rounded by the end of last season, so hopefully he can use that versatility to be a threat during every shift. That consistency will be key to whether he develops into a top NHL centre.
• With Drake Batherson not blowing anyone away yesterday, look for a couple other prospects to try and step up their game to make a good first impression. Max Veronneau is on the cusp of the NHL, while Nick Paul is far from a lock for the main roster.
• This will also be our first look at Artem Anisimov in a Sens uniform, whose new surroundings are much different compared to playing with Patrick Kane on Chicago. It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts to playing with weaker linemates — the rank of Ottawa’s centres is anything but solid.
• One of the Sens’ 2019 draftees will make their debuts as well in Maxence Guénette (7th round, 187th overall).
• Game time is 7:30 PM EST. You can catch the game on TSN4 and TSN5./