Game Day Five: Penguins vs Senators, Jan. 18
By
Daniel Chisholm
Hockey Content and Social Media Specialist
The set-up
As we move into the back nine of the NHL season the wild card race is heating up and with that tonight's game has a lot on the line. The first of a home-and-home series with Pittsburgh, the gap between the Senators and the final wild card spot, held by Pittsburgh, is just nine points.
The Senators will hope to capitalize on a Penguins team that has found itself in unfamiliar territory, dropping seven of their last ten games. Ottawa will rely on the strong play of their top players with Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle chemistry at an alltime high as the two 40-point socrers on the team. Not far behind is the trio of Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat and Drake Batherson with 38 points each. Of course, the addition of Josh Norris can only provide a boost for this team as the team's leading goal scorer last season looks to make his mark in his return to play.
This Penguins team is not one to take lightly, with championship dna still at the core of their organization. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have shown no signs of slowing down, on pace for 94 points and 78 points respectively, they will be a force to be reckoned with tonight. Throw in Jake Guentzel who has been a point per game player for the better part of the last five seasons and the Penguins attack will be a handful.
On top of their red-hot attack, the Penguins also baost one of the best penalty kill units in the league, a true test for the Senators sixth ranked power play in the league.
Whether it's a battle of the stars, a special teams showdown or a combination of both, this game is sure to go the distance!
Roster notes
The Senators are getting a big name back in the mix with Josh Norris returning to the lineup tonight. With a need to create a roster spot the Senators put Jake Lucchini on waivers yesterday afternoon and re-assigned him to Belleville this afternoon. Additionally, defenceman Artem Zub has been placed on IR retroactive to Saturday, January 14th. Head coach D.J. Smith also announced that forward Mathieu Joseph will not be available tonight. Below is how the Senators lined up this morning during practice at Canadian Tire Centre:
Forwards:
Tkachuk - Stützle - Batherson
DeBrincat - Norris - Giroux
Brassard - Pinto - Gambrell
Kelly - Kastelic - Watson
Joseph
Defense:
Chabot - Bernard-Docker
Sanderson - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Holden
Zaitsev
Past History
Though they play in different divisions any Senators fan knows these two teams have a deep history. Wednesday makes for the 109th game between these two with Pittsburgh owning the all-time series lead 60-39 with nine ties in the early days. Of course, the real rivalry between these two comes from their playoff battles. Most recently the Senators and Penguins met in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs when Pittsburgh beat Ottawa in overtime of game seven to go to the Stanley Cup final before ousting Nashville for the cup. Before then the two met on four separate occasions with Pittsburgh winning three and Ottawa winning the their lone series in the 2007 playoffs on their way to the Stanley Cup final.
Who to watch
The moment we've all been waiting for, after sitting out 38 games with a shoulder injury, Josh Norris is set to make his return tonight. Norris tallied a goal and an assist in his first five games this season (though really only four games as he got injured in the first period of the fifth game). However, we are all aware of what Norris is capable of on any given night. In 66 games last season Norris led the team in goals with 35, and added 20 assists for a career high 55 points.
It may be wise to tame expectations in his first game back as he eases into things. Playing alongside Claude Giroux will ease the burden of taking the face-offs as he gets back into the swing of things. Make no mistake though, Norris' presence alone is a threat to any opponent, and playing alongside a playmaker like Giroux and a major goal threat like Alex DeBrincat, makes Norris just as much of a threat as any to light the lamp here tonight.
Where to watch
For those not at Canadian Tire Centre, Wednesday's game can be seen live on Sportsnet One and TVAS2. Fans can also tune into the radio call on TSN 1200 and Unique FM 94,5.
