Game Day Notes: Sens @ Penguins

The Sens return from the Bye Week this evening in Pittsburgh and we've got all the news and notes you need before tonight's 7 p.m. start against the Penguins.

Back from the break

The Sens hit the ice in Pittsburgh yesterday for their first skate in 9 days and the group came back refreshed from their time away from the rink during the All-Star Break and Bye Week.
"It's always nice to not just rejuvenate the body but also the mind by getting away from the game for a little bit," said Mark Stone. "I think guys are pretty excited to get back now."
One player who had a bit of work to do last weekend was Thomas Chabot who represented the Senators at NHL All-Star Weekend in San Jose. Thankfully the on-ice schedule was pretty light for Chabot so he to was able to get a bit of a break along with his teammates.
"I had some time to get a lot of rest," Chabot said about his time in San Jose. "I went on a small trip after too so I'm feeling good right now."

Projected Line-Up

The Bye Week will also have a bit of an impact on tonight's Sens' line-up as Colin White, who was been sidelined since Janurary 10th, has been given the green light to return to action against the Penguins.
"It should be exciting to get back tonight," said White after today's morning skate. "I've been waiting for a little bit."
White spent the bulk of his break in Ottawa skating and working with the Sens' training staff and commented that his conditioning feels back to where it was before his injury and he's set to rejoin Brady Tkachuk and Mark Stone on one of the team's top two lines.
"We all just kind of click together," White said about his linemates. "Brady is a big body and Stone makes a lot of plays with the puck so for me it's just about driving through and creating space for them. We can all make plays for each other so it's worked well for all three of us."
Sens head coach Guy Boucher also shared that Nicholas Paul will remain in the line-up as he'll once again go with 12 forwards and 6 defencemen which means that Ben Harpur is expected to be the extra skater tonight.
Here's a look at the projected forward lines and defence pairings:
Tkachuk - White - Stone
Dzingel - Duchene - Ryan
Smith - Pageau - Paajarvi
Paul - Tierney - Boedker
Chabot - DeMelo
Lajoie - Ceci
Borowiecki - Jaros

In Goal

Anders Nilsson (7-11-1) gets the nod in net for the Senators tonight and for the first time since being acquired in early January, he'll have all his new Sens gear with him. Nilsson shared that there was a bit of a delay with his helmet but thankfully everything was sorted out over the Bye Week and his new equipment will get it's first test tonight against the Penguins.
Nilsson has been red hot over his last 5 starts racking up 4 wins and a sparkling .951 save percentage during that span. He's also won 4 of his last 5 starts against the Penguins including a 3-2 overtime win earlier this season with the Canucks.

Where to Watch

It's a 7 p.m. start time in Pittsburgh tonight so why not grab some friends and check out Hooley's on Elgin where they'll be serving up Molson Canadian Drafts for just $6.50 all game long.