Sasson signed out of Western Michigan University following his 2022-23 season. He’s played in 79 AHL games since signing with the Canucks’ organization and has 23 goals and 30 assists in that time. Sasson is a centre who can play on either wing, and can contribute on both special teams' units if head coach Rick Tocchet needs to fill a role.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Sens sit seventh in the Atlantic division with an 8-10-1 record. They are 5-4-1 on home ice.
- Scoring first is important for the Sens on home ice, they are 4-0-0 when scoring first at home and 7-1-0 on the year when they pot the first goal of the game.
- They are 4-0-0 when leading after two periods on home ice.
- Ottawa’s best period has been the first in the first quarter of the season. They have outscored their opponents 20-15 but have been outscored in the second and third periods.
- Tim Stützle leads the Sens with 23 points in 19 games. Seven of his eight goals have come at even strength.
- Brady Tkachuk leads with nine goals this season. He and Stützle are the two Senators who are over a point per game.
- Ottawa’s power play has been strong this season. They rank sixth in the NHL with a 27% conversion rate on the man-advantage.
- Linus Ullmark has started 11 of the Sens’ 19 games. He has a 4-6-1 record with an .887% save percentage and a 3.00 goals-against average.
- Three former Canucks played in most Sens games this season: Zack MacEwen, Travis Hamonic, and Adam Gaudette.
- Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot are the big minute eaters on the defence corps. Sanderson is averaging 24:22 per game and Chabot sits at 23:27.
- Claude Giroux is their best man in the faceoff dot – he has won 60.2% of his draws this year.
The Story: On the Road Again
We won’t be seeing the Canucks back at Rogers Arena until Friday, December 6th when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets, but the road has not been a problem for the Canucks so far this season.
The Canucks currently have a 6-1-0 record away from Rogers Arena and are a top-five road team for control of goals, expected goals and scoring chances.
They have outscored their opponents 20-11 in their seven road games this season. On the road, the club is 3-0-0 when scoring first and 4-0-0 when outshooting their opponents.
Quinn Hughes is the leading scorer on the road, picking up 10 points (2g-8a) in seven games.
Conor Garland has been on the ice for 11 goals for and just one goal against on the road this season (5GF-0GA at five-on-five).
Last season, the Canucks went 23-14-4 away from Rogers Arena and they are hoping to improve on that record this year. It’s been a good start so far and we will see if they can keep it up on Saturday.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Elias Pettersson: 3g-3a-6p
J.T. Miller: 1g-4a-5p
Erik Brännström: 2g-2a-4p
Quinn Hughes: 1g-3a-4p
Kiefer Sherwood: 2g-1a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game is a 4:00 p.m. start time and can be viewed on Hockey Night in Canada or you can listen along to the radio call with Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
