Game Day Notes: Sens vs. Blackhawks

As the Sens get set to kick off the 2018-19 regular season at home tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, he's a look at what you can expect from their line-up in Game #1.

Captains

Yesterday, Sens GM Pierre Dorion announced his captains for the upcoming season and the team has decided to roll with 4 alternates in lieu of naming a full-time captain. Mark Stone and Matt Duchene will each wear an "A" for the duration of the season while Mark Borowiecki and Zack Smith will rotate at home and on the road.
"I'm more than happy to split duties with Boro," said Smith. "I'm excited to have a leadership role with this team, not that you need a letter to do that, but it's definitely still a feather in the cap."
All four current alternate captains have worn a letter on their jersey in the past for the Senators and while the team will be without a designated captain, the veteran group is more than up to the task of headlining the team's leadership group.
"We're leading by committee," Duchene said. "We have an outstanding group of leaders in here who are really working together and are all on the same page. That doesn't always happen, guys can have different ideas about how to do things, but we're all going in the same direction so it's been good."

Up Front

Sens head coach Guy Boucher confirmed yesterday that 2018 first round pick Brady Tkachuk won't make his NHL debut tonight and will be sidelined with a minor groin issue. Tkachuk did skate with the team this morning and is hopefully to play in Saturday's game against the Maple Leafs.
The Sens will have a few new faces in the line-up up front tonight though as both Chris Tierney and Mikkel Boedker are expected to play in their first games with their new club against the Blackhawks.
"You first game with a team is always exciting," said Tierney following today's skate. "It's a mix of excitement, a little nervous and maybe some butterflies. It's the start of a new season so you want to get out there and get going and playing for a new team just amps it up a little more."

Alex Formenton, who made his Senators and professional debut last season as the youngest player in franchise history, is expected to join Tierney and Boedker on a line tonight and is excited to get back into his second NHL game after nearly a year.
"All I remember is the game being played at such a high pace," Formenton said about his NHL debut last season.
"I've added a little bit of maturity to my game since last fall," he continued. "Playing in that one game and practicing with the team definitely helped me out a lot to get into an NHL mindset. Playing games in Belleville at the end of last season also had an impact since I was competing against stronger and faster guys. It really helped me push myself."
Here's a look at the Sens projected forward lines for tonight:
Dzingel - Duchene - Ryan
White - Smith - Stone
Formenton - Tierney - Boedker
McCormick - Pyatt - Paajarvi

On Defence

Dylan DeMelo, who is also set to play in his first game with the Senators tonight, had a bit of a scare at this morning's skate and left the ice early after being struck in the face with a stick. Fortunately, the coach confirmed that he's ok and will be good to go tonight against Chicago.

DeMelo's projected partner tonight, Max Lajoie, is yet another new face in the line-up as the 20-year-old defence is set to play in his first NHL game tonight.
"I'm not going to lie, it was a little hard to fall asleep last night," said Lajoie this morning. "I think the nerves will set in right before the game. I'm not really nervous now, just more excited, but I'm sure tonight will be a good night and once I get on the ice the nerves will all go away."
Lajoie made his pro debut last year with Belleville where he skated in 56 games for the Senators' AHL affiliate, recording 15 points over that span.
And here's how the defence pairings should look:
Chabot - Wideman
Borowiecki - Ceci
Lajoie - DeMelo

In Goal

No surprise here, the coach confirmed yesterday that Craig Anderson will get the start in goal against the Blackhawks. Anderson, who compiled a record of 23-25-6 last season, is looking to rebound as the team's starter for 2018-19 and is approaching the season with more of a focus on being mentally prepared for the inevitable highs and lows.
"Every single year, you get to start fresh," said Anderson. "You have to have the attitude that everyone starts at 0-0-0 so go out there and put together a few good games. It's not always going to go your way and you don't know how it's going to go, whether the team has a good game or a bad game or I have a good game or a bad game, we can't dwell on it. We have to be able to keep looking forward and get ready for the next one."

Mike Condon will assume the back-up role tonight versus Chicago.

Where to Watch

We've got ourselves a 7:30 p.m. game time tonight to kick off the season and there are still some seats available so
grab some now
and join us for puck drop. The Sens are also set to walk the red carpet into Gate #1 of Canadian Tire Centre at 4:30 p.m. so aim to get here a little early if you can and want to wish the guys luck on their way in. More details on the pre-game activites can be found
here
.
Can't make it to the rink? Then head out and catch tonight's game at Local Heroes on Clyde Ave. where they'll be serving up personal pitchers of Molson Canadian for just $7.19.