James Reimer will make his second straight start for the Senators as they continue a three-game road swing with a stop in Columbus. The Senators have picked up points in four straight games but have dropped their last two decisions in overtime.
“I thought he looked solid,” said Travis Green about Reimer after the Senators practiced Tuesday morning. “Looked in control, so hopefully he’s got that same look to him tonight.”
Ottawa and Columbus enter Tuesday’s game with an identical 22-19-7 record, six points back of Buffalo for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. The game will mark their final meeting of the season as they both jostle for position in the playoff race.
“Yeah, I don’t think we change anything really,” said Shane Pinto about the team’s approach going into the game. “It’s just another game, but obviously an important start, I think I say it every time. But getting them on their heels early I think is important, we’ve got to be on our toes, hopefully have a good start and then just carry that into the second and third and just find a way.”
Pinto has scored twice and added five assists in 11 games since returning from a 10-game absence. He skated alongside Claude Giroux and Michael Amadio on Tuesday morning, a line that was a staple before Pinto was injured but has been split up lately.
“I think coming back from injury, it takes a couple games,” said Pinto about getting back up to full speed. “Then we got split up for a bit, now we’re kind of back. Just trusting our reads, I think all three of us kind of have a smart way of playing the game, just kind of trusting that, and the results will come if you keep doing that.”
