Game Day Five: Senators at Golden Knights, Nov. 23
By
Daniel Chisholm
Hockey Content and Social Media Specialist
The set-up
For the second time in about three weeks the Senators will face-off against a strong Vegas Golden Knights team, this time in Las Vegas. The last time these two played, Vegas walked away with the win however the Senators mounted a near herculean comeback in the effort. Down 5-1 with less than six minutes remaining in the second period, the Senators scratched and clawed back to score three straight before the final horn sounded for a 5-4 final.
Vegas comes into tonight's bout as the top team in the Western Conference, and the third best overall record in the NHL. Boasting both a top-five offence and defence, Vegas will be a formidable opponent for the Senators. The good news for the Senators is they may get to put the healthiest lineup on the ice that they've been able to since they hosted the Minnesota Wild. Should defenceman Thomas Chabot return the Senators will get to put their top defensive pairing on the ice together with Chabot and Artem Zub. A fully stocked blue line may be just what the doctor ordered to slowdown the Golden Knights red-hot offence.
Roster notes
Defenceman Thomas Chabot was a full participant in yesterday's practice at T-Mobile Arena, and there is growing optimism that he will be available tonight. Additionally, the Senators have re-assigned defenceman Jacob Larsson to the Belleville Senators and in a corresponding move they recalled Lassi Thomson. Thomson had not yet arrived with the team at the time of their practice.
Below is how the Senators lined up yesterday for practice at T-Mobile Arena:
Forwards:
Tkachuk - Stützle - Batherson
DeBrincat - Pinto - Giroux
Motte - Brassard - Joseph
Kelly - Gambrell - Watson
Kastelic
Defense:
Chabot - Zub
Sanderson - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Holden
Second chances
Vegas will mark the fourth opponent the Senators have seen multiple times this season in short order. The first three were Buffalo, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. Except for New Jersey, who has been the hottest team in the NHL the last couple of weeks, the Senators have seemed to right the ship in their second chances against opponents. Following two close losses to Buffalo (4-1, though two were empty netters at the end), and Philadelphia (2-1), the Senators came back in a big way to win 4-1 against both foes. Able to identify what went wrong in both of those firs two outings, the Senators took those learnings and turned them into wins. Look for them to get back to that here tonight against the Golden Knights.
Who to watch
During the Senators last game against San Jose, forward Tim Stützle tied Alexandre Daigle for the franchise record for the most points scored by a Senators player before turning 21. With his birthday not until January 15th he is set to break that record any day now!
Stützle is currently tied for second in point on the team with Claude Giroux and only behind linemate Brady Tkachuk. Stützle's skill at such a young age can't be denied however the chemistry he shows with his teammates, especially Tkachuk, is what has propelled him to such a high point total so quickly. Tkachuk and Stützle connected for the Senators lone goal against San Jose in a play that seemed like Brady just instinctively knew where Stützle would be before he even turned around with the puck.
Look for Stützle to continue his torrid scoring pace tonight against Las Vegas and to etch his name in the Senators record books!
Where to watch
Wednesday's game can be seen live on TSN5 and TVAS. Fans can also tune into the radio call on TSN 1200 and Unique FM 94,5.
