Game Day Notes: Sens vs. Rangers

Get ready for tonight's 7:30 p.m. start against the Rangers with a look at Tkachuk's offensive numbers, some details on tonight's Sens projected line-up and more...

Tkachuk heating up

With 6 points (3G, 3A) in his last three games, Brady Tkachuk seems to be finding his offensive groove in the NHL. His second tally in Tuesday's win over the Flyers was his 9th goal of the season in just his 14th game, surpassing his NCAA total of 8 last year at Boston University (in 40 GP) so if there were any concerns about Tkachuk's ability to score at the next level, they've quickly been dispelled.
Tkachuk's 16 points this season have him sitting tied for second in the rookie scoring race with is linemate Colin White and trailing only Vancouver's Elias Pettersson for the rookie lead. What's impressive about Tkachuk's totals is that he's missed 11 games this season with injuries which boosts his point/game average to 1.14 which is tops in the NHL for first year platers.
"He brings something a little different," Matt Duchene said about Tkachuk's early success with the Sens. "I don't think we have that power forward quite like him on this team. When we drafted him, that was something I was excited about...to have a guy like that."

Projected Line-up

No personnel changes are excepted for the Sens tonight following Tuesday's win but there will be some line-shuffling for their return to Canadian Tire Centre. Sens head coach Guy Boucher spoke about the changes to his line-up and shared that it is a result of being able to pick the match-ups on home ice.
"It's tough on the road for us," said Boucher. "We're exposed and the match-ups are a little tougher so that made for different lines and pairings. Now we're home so we get the last change and we've been doing some different things at home that have worked well so we want to make sure that we continue that."

Most notably, Ryan Dzingel moves back up to the top line with Duchene and Drake Batherson while Mikkel Boedker shifts to a trio with Chris Tierney and Bobby Ryan. The combo of Tkachuk, White and Mark Stone will remain intact.
Here's a look at the Sens projected line-up against the Rangers:
Dzingel - Duchene - Batherson
Tkachuk - White - Stone
Boedker - Tierney - Ryan
Pyatt - Smith - Paajarvi
Chabot - DeMelo
Lajoie - Ceci
Jaros - Harpur

In Goal

After a night off in Philadelphia, Craig Anderson (9-9-3) will be back between the pipes for the Sens tonight against the Rangers. Anderson started the month of November with a 5-2-1 record but has since dropped his last 4 starts. Even with the rest on Tuesday, he remains the NHL's busiest goaltender and leads the league in shots against with a staggering 788 in 22 appearances.

Previous Meeting

These teams last faced off earier this week at Madison Square Garden where the Rangers scored three third period goals to earn a 4-2 decision over the visiting Senators. Mark Stone (2G) and Brady Tkachuk (2A) each had multi-point games in defeat while Craig Anderson turned aside 29 of the 32 shots he faced.
"One play killed us but it's the similar type of hurt we've been giving to ourselves," said Boucher following Monday's loss. "We sabotage ourselves a little bit and it's something that we've got to take away. We're going to learn."

Where to Watch

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. tonight at Canadian Tire Centre and
tickets are still available
if you'd like to come join us. Can't make it to the rink but looking for a spot to take in the action? Why not head on over to Jonny Canuck's where it'll be 25% off Molson Canadian all evening long.