Pre-season Game Notes: Sens vs. Maple Leafs

It's a new day and the Sens will deploy a new line-up tonight when they rematch the Maple Leafs following yesterday's game in Lucan, ON as part of Kraft Hockeyville. Here's what you need to know before the puck drops at Canadian Tire Centre...

Up Front

All eyes seem to be on the pairing of Mark Stone and Brady Tkachuk tonight as the latter gets set to play in his first game in Ottawa. The two wingers have already showed chemistry both on and off the ice so far in training camp and tonight marks their first opportunity to see some game action together.
"Very often, when young guys come in they want to be something else than what they are," said head coach Guy Boucher about Tkachuk. "They want to be more, they want to adapt, they want to fit in...and I think with all the hype around him I've been so impressed with him just being himself."
"He's brought his strengths with him up until now, he's focused on what he does great and he's being great because of that. There's a maturity to his game," Boucher continued. "Now he's coupled with Stone who's an unbelievable leader for us. The two of them have been terrific on the ice together so I'm looking forward to seeing them in action tonight."

The duo will be pivoted by another new addition in Chris Tierney who will see his first action as a member of the Senators. Boucher stated that he's been impressed by what he's seen from Tierney so far and described him as a player that "does it all". The top line also looks like it will see some time on the power play along with Zack Smith in the slot and Cody Ceci up top.
Here's a look at the forward line rushes from this morning:
Tkachuk - Tierney - Stone
Paajarvi - Smith - Pyatt
Balcers - Sexton - Chlapik
Labate - Carey - Skille

On D

It will be an interesting game to watch when it comes to the defence as a few players are being given prime opportunities tonight against the Maple Leafs. With jobs on the blueline potentially available this season, these early pre-season games can be a good indication as to who might have the inside track to some NHL games in Ottawa in 2018-19.
One player to watch tonight is Max Lajoie who is set to skate alongside Cody Ceci on the Sens top pairing. Lajoie, who was named captain for the Sens prospects against Toronto at the Rookie Tournament in Laval prior to training camp, continues to earn opportunities to move up the depth chart thanks to his unique skillset and work ethic.
"It's going to be awesome to play with Ceci tonight. Hopefully we get the chance to play against Auston Matthews too," Lajoie said when asked about testing his skills against veteran NHLers. "The opportunities I've gotten so far at training camp have been great so it's up to me to take advantage of them now."
Christian Jaros is another young defender looking to make a god impression tonight. Boucher noted Jaros' strong showing at camp to date and he's expected to line up with Ben Harpur at even strength and join Lajoie on the Sens' second power play unit against Toronto.
Some fans noticed that Thomas "Hotsam Batcho" Chabot will be absent for the second consecutive game tonight but don't freak out. Boucher attributed the lack of Chabot to the sheer number of defencemen in camp and joked that he thinks "he's going to be on our team".
Here's how the defence pairings looked this morning:
Ceci - Lajoie
Harpur - Jaros
Bergman - Englund
Percy - Aspirot

In Goal

It'll be another split game this evening with Craig Anderson getting the start in goal against the Maple Leafs. Anderson, who is entering his 9th season with the Senators, stressed that while the results of these pre-season games don't ultimately matter, they're a great opportunity to get re-accustomed to preparing for an NHL start.
"It's just about getting back into the routine," said Anderson. "When you're off for that long a period of time it's about finding that routine that worked for you and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't work."
"We use these games as a bit of a dress rehersal," he said. "'What time you get to the rink?' or 'What's your warm-up?' and just getting back to the ritual that you go through when you're preparing for a game."