Game Day 5: OTT at TOR

The set up:

Fresh out of the holiday break it's the third iteration of the battle of Ontario tonight. In the first two meetings we saw the road team walk away the winners first with the Sens 6-3 win on Nov. 11 and then with Toronto winning 4-3 on Dec. 7. Both sides will be keen to take the advantage in this Provincial rivalry here tonight.

After a tough Western Conference road trip, the Sens come into this one fresh off an overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins right before the break. They look to carry the momentum from that game into tonight as they look to improve to 2-2-0 under interim head coach Jacques Martin.

"I like our response, we're trying to change our mindset with our game. I'm very pleased with how we've competed and how we're progressing right now." - Jacques Martin

Since their last outing, the Maple Leafs have been a tale of two teams, having gone 4-2-2 over those eight games. After falling to Columbus in overtime two weeks ago, they beat Pittsburgh 7-0 then five nights later lost 9-3 to Buffalo before beating Columbus 4-1.

While it may be hard to gauge where the Maple Leafs are right now, make no doubt this team is still legit, sitting in third in the Atlantic with 33 points and three-four games in hand on the teams in front. Carried by their electric offence averaging 3.58 goals per game, the key to beating this Leafs team seems to be handling momentum as they score in a hurry and can give goals up in a hurry. The calmer head may well just be the victor.

Roster report:

After re-assigning Jiri Smejkal and Angus Crookshank to Belleville following the Pittsburgh game, both have been recalled ahead of tonight's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Below is how the team skates at morning skate at Scotiabank Arena:

Who to watch:

In terms of personal success, December has been a good month for Jakob Chychrun. Since Dec. 7 the stalwart defenceman has 12 points in nine games including the opening goal in their last outing against Pittsburgh on the Dec. 23.

After 29 games, Chychrun is on pace for 68 points, blowing way past his previous career high of 41 set in the 2020-21 NHL season. Beyond his scoring, he has been extremely reliable on the blue line and with his strong skating and ability to break the puck out he makes the Sens dangerous in transition when he's on the ice.

Keep your eye on Chychrun as he sits just one point away from his 200th career point, and the way he's been playing lately you might not have to wait long to see him cross that threshold.

Duelling goal streaks:

Beyond the Provincial rivalry, these battles of Ontario tend to have a bevy of head-to-head storylines to keep an eye on. Tonight is no different as two of the hottest goal streaks in the NHL will come to a head tonight in Toronto as Josh Norris and Auston Matthews are set to face-off.

Norris is in the midst of a five-game goal streak that's seen him score five goals and add two assists in his streak. Most notable is his work on the power play where three of his five have come from. At a time where the power play needed life injected into it Norris has stepped up and delivered.

On the other side of the ice Auston Matthews has been on a heater that puts him atop the league for goals this season. Finding the back of the net in each of the last seven games, Matthews has 12 goals in that stretch to give him 28 on the season. However, in both meetings this season, the Sens have been able to keep Matthews in line without a goal. Look for them to try to cool him off and keep him scoreless in the battle of Ontario this season.

Where to watch:

Tonight's game will be carried live on Sportsnet and TVAS in English and French respectively. Additionally, TSN1200 and Unique FM 94,5 have you covered on the radio with the English and French calls.