Game Day Five: Senators at Maple Leafs, Jan. 27
By
Daniel Chisholm
Hockey Content and Social Media Specialist
The set-up
In a rivalry as old as time (or at least since 1992) the Ottawa Senators are set to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the latest chapter of who lays claim to Ontario. Toronto took round one in game two of the regular season when Justin Holl broke the 2-2 tie with 1:55 remaining in regulation. Neither side will want to give the edge here tonight as Toronto tries to keep pace with the red-hot Boston Bruins, and the Senators try to stay in the pack for that final wild card spot. Both sides come into tonight having downed one of the New York teams on Wednesday, the Senators a 2-1 win over the Islanders while Toronto edged the Rangers in overtime.
As the Senators look to keep the momentum going as they continue the fight for that last playoff spot, they may have been dealt favourable news. Toronto forward Auston Matthews will be sidelined for the next three weeks with a knee injury. Though you never want to hear of injury news, the Senators aren't shedding any tears about not seeing a 60-goal scorer looking across at them when the puck drops tonight. With the recent shake up of the line combinations look for an added spark tonight. The top six forwards of Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat, Drake Batherson and Shane Pinto had accounted for 94 of the team's 134 goals this season. In moving Pinto and Batherson to the third line, while moving Mathieu Joseph to the first line and adding Ridly Greig from Belleville, look for the Senators to have a more balanced attack tonight.
Even without Auston Matthews this Toronto team is dangerous and has been for years now. Mitch Marner and William Nylander have been on an absolute tear this season tallying 57 points each through 49 games. Meanwhile their savvy veteran centreman John Tavares is nearly a point per game production in year 14, with 48 points in 49 games. However, the storyline of the night may just be the net minder for Toronto, Matt Murray facing his old team for the first time as a Maple Leaf. The advantage goes both ways when you know a goalie that also knows how you play, tonight we will see who has the upper hand!
Roster notes
With goaltender Cam Talbot suffering a lower body injury in the last game against New York, the Senators recalled goaltender Kevin Mandolese from Belleville. Below is how the Senators lined up during practice at Scotiabank Arena this morning:
Forwards:
Tkachuk - Stützle - Joseph
DeBrincat - Greig - Giroux
Brassard - Pinto - Batherson
Kelly - Gambrell - Watson
Kastelic
Defense:
Chabot - Holden
Sanderson - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Zaitsev
Battle of Ontario
Not enough can be made of the rivalry between these two clubs. Plain and simple they do not like each other, and the fans are right along with them. Tonight marks the 138th regular season meeting all-time between the two. Of the previous 137 battles, Ottawa owns a narrow edge 69-65 with three ties to boot. However, Toronto has made up ground in recent years riding a four-game win streak into this game. More often than not, these games go down to the wire; 10 of the last 13 battles have been one goal games taking the full 60 to declare a winner. Don't expect anything to change here tonight, this should be a nail biter right to the end.
Who to watch
With Talbot sitting out with a lower body injury, it's very likely that we will see goaltender Anton Forsberg get the nod to mind the net tonight. When the chips have been down, Forsberg has stepped up time and time again, including starting nine of the first ten games when Talbot was rehabbing from a preseason injury. Of course in those opening ten games Forsberg faced Toronto in game two, stopping 29 of the 32 shots he faced in the game. Tonight will mark the seventh time he has faced Toronto in his career whom he boasts a 0.908% save percentage and 3.57 goals against average against. Look for Forsberg to show his stuff here tonight.
Where to watch
Friday's game can be seen live on CBC, Sportsnet and RDS. Fans can also tune into the radio call on TSN 1200 and Unique FM 94,5.
