Game Day Five: Senators at Red Wings, Dec. 17
By
Daniel Chisholm
Hockey Content and Social Media Specialist
The set-up
A second division battle in back-to-back games for the Senators, and another chance to climb the division standings. Detroit currently sits four points up on the Senators in fourth place in the division, a win would see five of the eight teams within two points of each other and a real opportunity for the Senators to start leap frogging.
Ottawa comes into this game winners of three straight, and with 15 points in their last ten games. Fighting through injury with four of their top nine forwards out with injury against Montreal and one half of their top defensive pairing, this group has made no excuses and embodied the 'next man up' mentality. The second line in particular has been firing on all cylinders of late with Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto and Alex DeBrincat combining for seven goals and 18 points over the last five games.
Though Detroit enters Saturday's contest on a four-game losing streak, they cannot be taken lightly. Some of those losses can be chalked up to the injuries they have been battling of late. Filip Hronek, Dylan Larkin, Robert Hagg and Olli Maata have all dealt with a variety of injuries and illnesses in that stretch. Larkin and Hronek took part in practice yesterday and are game time decisions to lace up their skates here today. Larkin and Hronek rank first and third overall in points for Detroit this season, so it's safe to say returning them to the line-up would be a major energy injection for this side.
Both sides want to get these crucial division points, as they are set to see each other three times in the next two weeks. Expect a hard-fought contest here today.
Roster notes
Josh Norris participated in drills yesterday without a non-contact jersey for the first time since he went out with a shoulder injury against Arizona in the fifth game of the season. Head coach D.J. Smith said that though he was in a non-contact jersey that was just for drills and not an indication that he is returning to play in the immediate future. Additionally, forward Tyler Motte returned to practice and is considered a gametime decision, while Jacob Bernard-Docker also returned to practice though he will not play against Detroit. Below is how the Senators lined up during their morning practice yesterday at Canadian Tire Centre:
Forwards:
Tkachuk - Brassard - Giroux
DeBrincat - Pinto - Batherson
Kelly - Chartier - Gambrell
Motte - Kastelic - Watson
Lucchini - Norris - XXXX
Defense:
Chabot - Zaitsev
Sanderson - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Holden
Heatherington - Bernard-Docker
Past History
Naturally, Detroit is the division opponent that the Senators have the least history with given that they only joined the division from the Western Conference in the 2013-14 season. That said the two have been fairly evenly matched over the years with Detroit owning a narrow lead in the series 32-24 with one tie. Since Detroit's move to the Eastern Conference the series has been dead even with both sides taking 16 games. Though Ottawa has controlled the series since the start of the 2019-20 season winning four straight and six of the last seven meetings between these two.
Who to watch
Growing up just about thirty minutes away from Little Caesars Arena, Alex DeBrincat looks to make some noise in his homecoming game as a Senator. The goals that eluded him in the early goings of the season have started to come in bunches for DeBrincat, who has also found a bevy of ways to contribute all around the ice. DeBrincat put home a pair of power play goals against Anaheim two games ago and followed it up with a three primary assist performance against Montreal. Following that effort against Montreal, DeBrincat is riding a seven-game point streak. Look for the "Cat" to take that streak to eight here today playing in familiar territory
Where to watch
Saturday'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.
