Game Day Notes: Sens @ Oilers

Lots of reinforcements on the way this afternoon in Edmonton as the Sens will have several players return to action against the Oilers.

Projected Line-up

Let's start with the good news, interim head coach Marc Crawford confirmed at his morning press availability that Thomas Chabot (broken toe), Colin White (neck) and Chris Tierney (illness) have all be cleared and will suit up for the Sens today in Edmonton. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who served his one-game suspension on Thursday against the Flames, will also be back in the line-up.
The coach did share that Zack Smith has been ruled out for this afternoon's game with a lingering back issue and went on to praise his alternate captain's leadership on and off the ice.
"He's been a guy that's really bought in, played the right way and tried to be a really good veteran leader for us," said Crawford. "We've had to pull him out of the line-up here, he's got a nagging injury that's just not letting up."

The coach also confirmed that Erik Brannstrom will be the lone healthy scratch today.
With no morning skate due to the 2 p.m. local start time, here's a look at how the Sens projected line-up could shake out today:
Tkachuk - White - Veronneau
Balcers - Tierney - Paajarvi
Lindberg - Pageau - Ryan
Duclair - Gibbons - Boedker
Chabot - DeMelo
Jaros - Borowiecki
Wolanin - Harpur

In Goal

Craig Anderson (14-25-4) is back between the pipes for the Senators tonight in Edmonton as Crawford confirmed he'll make his second consecutive start of the trip. Anderson has played well at times since returning from a concussion in January and Crawford is looking for a strong performance out of his starter against what should be a desperate Oilers squad.
"He's always played well in this building," said the coach about his decision. "He had a memorable outing here a couple of seasons ago and he's played extremely well against the Oilers in the past. We'll need that type of goaltending from him today."

Wolanin up to the task

With just 33 NHL games under his belt over two seasons, Christian Wolanin's development continues to impress. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut against these Oilers almost a year ago to the day and spoke about his growth and mentality when it comes to facing the league's very best.
"Last year when I came up from college I'd see McDavid and say 'oh crap there's McDavid'," Wolanin joked. "Now I'm excited to be out there against the other team's top players. It's a challenge and they're labeled as the best players in the world for a reason so everytime you get to go on the ice with them and you go even or plus then I did my job."

Wolanin has seen an increase in ice-time recently with Chabot and now Cody Ceci out of the line-up with injuries and he is looking to take full advantage of his opportunity down the stretch.
"With more experience, I get more comfortable," said Wolanin. "I feel like I belong in this league and it's an everyday process to continue to prove that to everyone around me."

Where to Watch

It's a 4 p.m. start in Edmonton so why not head out for dinner and catch the game at Local Heroes on Clyde where they'll be serving up personal pitchers of Molson Canadian for just $7.19.