Game Day Notes: Game #17 - Sens @ Hurricanes
by Craig Medaglia @craigmedaglia / Ottawa Senators
We've got the latest pre-game news and notes from Raleigh as the Sens look to sweep their home-and-home series with the Hurricanes at 7 p.m. tonight at PNC Arena.
Projected line-up
Sens head coach D.J. Smith liked what he saw on Saturday night and will roll with the exact same forward lines and defence pairings in hopes of locking down the team's third straight win. Smith had praise for his entire line-up on the weekend but was especially pleased with the performance of his young fourth line which consists of Filip Chlapik, J.C. Beaudin and Jonathan Davidsson. The trio each found the scoresheet on Saturday as well which marked the first NHL points for Beaudin and Davidsson.
"They put it in every time, they work, they stay above you, then they track you and they're fast," Smith said following the Sens' 4-1 win on Saturday (more on that below). "Whenever it got going bad those guys went out there and they seemed to right the ship and created some energy for the guys on the bench."
Here's a look at the Sens projected line-up tonight:
Tkachuk - Tierney - Duclair
Paul - Pageau - C. Brown
Namestnikov - White - Ennis
Chlapik - Beaudin - Davidsson
Chabot - Zaitsev
Brannstrom - Hainsey
Borowiecki - DeMelo
In goal
Not much of a surprise here as Anders Nilsson (4-3-1) will be back in the crease tonight for the Senators. Nilsson has been on fire since the start of the season and his .930 sv% through 8 games is among the league leaders (currently tied for 6th highest in the NHL) and was named the NHL's First Star of the Week this afternoon after stopping 96 of the 101 shots he faced this week en route to compiling a 3-0-0 record.
"It's an honour...especially in a league like this," said Nilsson this morning. "I honestly didn't see that one coming but at the same time it's Monday today and a new week with new games ahead and a new game tonight so you can't think about it too much. It's something you can put in your backpack and look back on it after the season."
Pageau's hot streak continues
After compiling 6 points in the Sens' first 11 games to open the season, Jean-Gabriel Pageau has hit another level recently. The 26-year-old centre has scored in each of the team's last 4 games and has been equally adept at stopping the other team from finding the scoresheet. Pageau's incredible +16 in 16 GPs is tops in the league as is his 3:15 shorthanded TOI/GP which is currently the highest in the NHL so far this season (Connor Brown ranks 3rd with 3:08).
Previous meeting
It was just two days ago but you better believe that we're revisiting this one. In case you missed it, the Sens came out blazing on Saturday night at Canadian Tire Centre and set a franchise record for the fastest two goals scored when Vladislav Namestnikov and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each buried in the span of just 4 seconds. Filip Chlapik and Brady Tkachuk also found the back of the net against Carolina and Anders Nilsson continued his hot start to the season stopping 38 of the 39 Hurricanes shots he faced to pick up the decision.
You can check out the full highlights from that game here.
Video: CAR@OTT: Namestnikov, Pageau score four seconds apart
Where to watch
It's a 7 p.m. start in Raleigh tonight and here's how you can watch all the action between the Sens and Hurricanes...
BROADCAST: TSN5, RDS
RADIO: TSN 1200, 94,5 Unique FM
If you're in need of a spot to catch the game, why not grab some friends and head to the Royal Oak in Barrhaven (4110 Standherd Dr.) where you can find Molson Canadian and half priced wings on all Sens game days.