Game Day 5: PIT vs OTT

The set up:

It's the final game before the holiday break and an opportunity for the Senators to finish the first part of the season on the right note. It's been a tough go of late for the Sens who are on a six-game loss streak, however the details of their game seem to be coming together.

In their last outing against Colorado, the goal was to establish pressure and be more aggresive. In five-on-five play they outcored Colorado 3-1 and established notably more time in the offensive zone. The Senators will look to lean on their hot hands tonight in Josh Norris who is on a four-game goal streak, and Jakob Chychrun who has been a masterming on the blue line of late with ten points in his last eight games.

The Penguins seem to be in the midst of picking up theirr game with eight points in their last five games. The Penguins have leaned on their veteran leadership of Crosby, Malkin, Letang and now Karlsson this season accounting for 96 points. Add in Jake Guentzel who actually leads the team with 35 points, this Penguins team will pose a challenge tonight.

It appears that Alex Nedeljkovic will get the nod between the pipes for Pittsburgh tonight. While he is the back up in paper, his numbers this season have been impressive. In eight starts, Nedeljkovic has a 5-2-1 record, boasting a 2.38 goals against and a 0.927% save percentage. This will not be a light challenge for the Senators.

Roster report:

There are no expected changes to the roster ahead of tonight's game. Below is how the Senators lined up this morning at practice at Canadian Tire Centre:

Who to watch:

After the Senators game against Colorado, Brady Tkachuk was not shy about his disappointment and taking the recent stretch personally.

"At the end of the day it starts with me as a leader, I've got to do a better job. Individually I'm not there. Not playing where I need to be playing. The way this trip went down it's on me. It's on me as the guy in charge, as the leader to to a better job." - Brady Tkachuk on taking the teams struggles personally

Now in the game of hockey one player can't be the sole reason for the success or short comings of the team. However, as he has shown time and time again as a leader, Brady takes these things to heart and will use this as a rally cry to motivate the team going forward.

When the recent team stretch aside and look at Tkachuk's season and you know that he has been playing good hockey. In some regards the best hockey of his career. Pacing the Senators with 14 goals, on pace for a career best 41 goals, Brady continues to grow his game season after season.

Look for tonight to be a statement presence from Brady against a team that he's already found a way to score against during their first outing in October.

Slowing down Crosby:

Tonight the Sens have a challenge, a challenge that teams have tried to sort out for the last 19 seasons. How to stop Sidney Crosby. The veteran forward is leading the Penguins in scoring once again with 19 on the season and doesn't seem to be slowing down. 

The Sens have a bit of an ace up their sleeve when it comes to facing Crosby. Claude Giroux, who spent 1000 games in the same division as Crosby has shown time and time again to be the perfect counter to Crosby. Willing to face him, and win in the face-off circle, knows his moves and tendencies on the ice, and truly fearless on the ice.

While the task is clearly easier said than doen, expect to see Giroux's line across from Crosby all night long to try to limit the impact the Penguins captain can have, and much like the last outing give the Sens the advantage tonight.

Where to watch:

For fans not at Canadian Tire Centre tonight, the game can be found live on Sportsnet 360, CITY and TVAS. Additionally, TSN1200 and Unique FM 94,5 have you covered on the radio with the English and French calls.