Game Day Five: Senators at Islanders, Feb. 14
By
Daniel Chisholm
Hockey Content and Social Media Specialist
The set-up
Fresh off an epic comeback against the Flames last night, the Senators are poised to close out their back-to-back against the new look New York Islanders. Tonight's game will act as the proverbial rubber match between these two as they split the first two meetings at Canadian Tire Centre. They last saw each other just six games ago when the Senators held on to a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux. This is a crucial game in the back nine of the season as both teams are looking to make a push for the final playoff spot.
This Islanders team is not the same group the Senators saw either time they hosted them as they made a blockbuster move to bring in Bo Horvat just two weeks ago. An incredible pick up from a team that had lacked offensive potency this season, relying on their stellar goaltending tandem of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov to keep them in the playoff hunt. Horvat joins New York as the leading scorer on their roster this season with 58 points, while Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal with 51 and 48 points respectively. This new look offence will be sure to test the Senators for the full 60 minutes tonight.
The Senators will be riding the high and carrying the momentum from their comeback victory last night into this contest. Down 3-1 with just over two minutes remaining the Senators scored twice in a 6-on-5 situation for the first time this season to send the game to overtime where they eventually got the win. The latest example of the team's continued growth in maturity they have showcased as the season has gone on. The Senators were led by the late game heroics of Tim Stützle and Alex DeBrincat who provided the primary assist on each other's goals to send the game to overtime and then to end it in overtime. With two 50-point scorers in Brady Tkachuk and Stützle, and three 40-point scorers in Giroux, DeBrincat and Drake Batherson, look for this group to continue to attack from all angles here tonight.
Roster notes
Following the game last night the Senators recalled defenceman Jacob Larsson from Belleville. With no morning skate today below is how the Senators lined up at last night against the Calgary Flames at Canadian Tire Centre
Forwards:
Tkachuk - Stützle - Joseph
DeBrincat - Greig - Giroux
Motte - Pinto - Batherson
Kelly - Brassard - Watson
Defense:
Chabot - Zaitsev
Brannstrom - Zub
Holden - Hamonic
New look tendy tandem
Unfortunately, with a game as physical as hockey injuries are a natural part of the game. The injury bug has hit the Senators hard, most recently with Anton Forsberg suffering a torn MCL in both knees effectively ending his season. With Cam Talbot already on injured reserve, the Senators will test the depth of their goaltending prospects with Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese joining the NHL ranks. Søgaard got the start last night against Calgary, just his third game in the NHL and where he showed just what he was capable of stopping 34 of the 37 shots he faced to pick up his second career win and first at home!
Time will tell if he gets the back-to-back start, which Anton Forsberg did just a couple weeks ago, but if he does not Kevin Mandolese will get the chance to make his NHL debut. Though the circumstances are not ideal, the Senators are getting a chance to see just how deep their goaltending bag is here.
Who to watch
With just 1:28 left in regulation and down a goal, Alex DeBrincat showed exactly why the Senators made a trade for him last spring when he coolly put a one-timer top shelf on a narrow angle to send the game to overtime. He followed that up by providing the primary assist on Tim Stützle's overtime goal, showing off the full range of his skill set. DeBrincat has posted five points in his last four games and is riding a four-game point streak coming into tonight. With 18 goals and 26 assists DeBrincat is on pace for the third 70-point season of his career. Look for DeBrincat to continue his hot play, help put this team in a position to win and add to his season tallies along the way.
Where to watch
Tuesday's game can be seen live on TSN5 and RDS2. Fans can also tune into the radio call on TSN 1200 and Unique FM 94,5.
