Game Day Five: Islanders vs Senators, Nov. 14
The set-up
The Senators welcome another red hot team in the New York Islanders to Canadian Tire Centre. The Islanders currently have the fifth most points in the NHL and have been led by strong goaltending from Ilya Sorokin who ranks in the top five for save percentage and goals against average. Perhaps a saving grace for the Senators has been the inconsistency between the Islanders home and road play, having gone 4-3 on the road, the bulk of their best games have come when they are at UBS Arena.
The Senators are coming off a strong road trip that saw them take three of a possible four points of the Devils and Flyers. Immediately after the win in Philadelphia there was a change in the air, where you could really feel the weight being lifted off the group. The team look to get back to their winning ways at Canadian Tire Centre, a place that treated them well to kick-off the season.
Roster notes
Head coach D.J. Smith announced yesterday that defenseman Thomas Chabot will be out for at least a week while he is in concussion protocol. With that news the Senators have called up defenseman Jacob Larsson from Belleville to fill out their defensive lineup.
Smith also mentioned that defenseman Artem Zub is back skating though he's a little behind schedule in his rehab, so he won't be available for the next few games. With that Jake Sanderson and Travis Hamonic look to be the top pairing heading into tonight's game.
Below is how the Senators lined up yesterday morning for practice at Canadian Tire Centre:
Forwards:
Tkachuk - Stützle - Giroux
DeBrincat - Brassard - Batherson
Motte - Pinto - Joseph
Kelly - Kastelic - Watson
Defense:
Sanderson - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Bernard-Docker
Holden - Larsson
Zaitsev - Zub
Past History
Monday marks the 108th time these two teams will face each other with the Senators holding a healthy lead in the all-time series 58-38 with 11 additional ties. It's really only been in recent memory that the Islanders have taken a hold of the series winning nine of the last 10 games.
Additionally, the Senators and Islanders have only met one time in playoff history. In 2003 the Senators knocked the Islanders out of the Eastern Conference playoffs in the first round winning in five games, including four straight to seal the series.
Who to watch
14 games into his career it's fair to say defenseman Jake Sanderson has lived up to, if not exceeded what we thought he would be at this stage. Tonight we're going to get an even larger scale of his body of work with Chabot and Zub out for tonight, Sanderson and Hamonic take those top line minutes. Chabot, an absolute horse when it comes to playing time, being held out means there are a lot of minutes that need to be filled with Sanderson at the ready to pick up a lot of the load there.
Though his defensive play has been what has impressed coaches most, Sanderson is well known for his offensive capabilities. Already logging seven assists in his first 14 games, there is also a conscious effort to get more shots on net. Sanderson scored five goals in his 31 games played at UND, and it seems he is looking for that elusive first goal here. Look for Sanderson to put his stamp on this game and maybe find the back of the net in the process for career goal number one.
Where to watch
Monday's game can be seen live on TSN5 and RDSS2. Fans can also tune into the radio call on TSN 1200 and Unique FM 94,5.
