Senators at Maple Leafs preview
Muzzin of Toronto to play 500th NHL game; Ottawa trying to end four-game skid
by Dave McCarthy / NHL.com Correspondent
SENATORS (19-28-5) at MAPLE LEAFS (32-17-3)
7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, SN360, NHL.TV
The Game
Jake Muzzin will play in his 500th NHL game when the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.
Muzzin had a goal and two assists in a 6-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, his third game with the Maple Leafs after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 28. He has 216 points (52 goals, 164 assists) in 499 NHL games.
The Maple Leafs have won back-to-back games and are 3-0-1 in their past four games after going 3-7-0 in their previous 10.
Goalie Craig Anderson is expected to start for the Senators, who will try to end a four-game losing streak (0-4-0) after going 4-1-0 in their previous five games.
Players to watch
Senators forward Ryan Dzingel has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in his past 13 games.
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past five games.
They said it
"They're Stanley Cup contenders, for sure. I don't think there are any flaws in their lineup anywhere to be honest. Getting [defenseman Jake] Muzzin is huge for them. You kind of have to play a perfect game to beat them. It's as hard as it gets." -- Senators coach Guy Boucher on the Maple Leafs
"It's been a long road but it's been a good one. A little different path to get here but we made it so it will be exciting to get this one out of the way and continuing moving forward. Just believe in yourself and trust the process." -- Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin on playing his 500th NHL game
Senators projected lineup
Ryan Dzingel -- Matt Duchene -- Bobby Ryan
Brady Tkachuk -- Colin White -- Mark Stone
Zack Smith -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Magnus Paajarvi
Jack Rodewald-- Chris Tierney -- Rudolfs Balcers
Thomas Chabot -- Dylan DeMelo
Maxime Lajoie -- Cody Ceci
Mark Borowiecki -- Ben Harpur
Craig Anderson
Anders Nilsson
Scratched: Cody Goloubef
Injured: Mikkel Boedker (middle body), Christian Jaros (lower body)
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Patrick Marleau -- Auston Matthews -- Kasperi Kapanen
Zach Hyman -- John Tavares -- Mitchell Marner
Connor Brown -- Nazem Kadri -- William Nylander
Par Lindholm -- Frederik Gauthier -- Andreas Johnsson
Jake Muzzin -- Morgan Rielly
Jake Gardiner -- Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott -- Ron Hainsey
Frederik Andersen
Garret Sparks
Scratched: Igor Ozhiganov, Justin Holl
Injured: Tyler Ennis (broken ankle)
Status report
Boucher said Boedker is week to week. Jaros is day to day, and Boucher said he could play against the Ducks on Thursday but is more likely to return against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. … Rodewald and Goloubef were recalled from Belleville of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
Stat pack
Chabot has gone five games without a point after he had six points (two goals, four assists) in his previous seven. … Marleau has four points (one goal, three assists) during a three-game point streak.