The set-up
The Sens (28-41-6) were beaten 4-2 Monday night in their first ever trip to Seattle as they saw their three-game point streak (2-0-1) come to an end.
Vancouver (38-28-10) are rolling right now as they have won six straight and sit five points behind Dallas for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference with six games to play.
Over their current win streak, the Canucks have averaged an astonishing 5.33 goals per game with nine goals also coming on the power play. Vancouver owns the eighth best man advantage in the league at 23.6 per cent. However, the own the second worst penalty kill in the NHL at 73.6 per cent.
Ottawa will be looking to generate more offence tonight. While they scored twice Monday, they mustered a season low 14 shots and it was just the 12th time in franchise history that the team has registered 14 or fewer shots in a game.
The Sens still own the sixth best power play in the NHL in April at 26.7 per cent while their 3.50 goals per game are the ninth most.
Vancouver is the ninth least penalized team in the NHL as they average just 7.9 penalty minutes per game while Ottawa ranks 26th with two more PIMs per game.
The Canucks are 18-14-6 at home this season while the Sens are 15-20-3 on the road. Ottawa is 5-8-1 this season in game two of a back-to-back.
Roster notes
While Sens head coach D.J. Smith admitted some of his players are banged up, no changes are expected to his lineup tonight as Victor Mete projects to be the team's only scratch.
Zach Senyshyn played just 8:48 in his Sens debut last night and registered three hits in the process.
Filip Gustavsson will be between the pipes tonight as he will get his first start since March 23 in Montreal. The Swede is 3-11-1 with a .886 save percentage and a 3.78 GAA this season.
Previous history
The Sens and Canucks have met 55 times previously with the Senators holding a 21-25-7 record with two ties. In B.C., Ottawa has won just nine of 28 contests.
In their lone meeting so far this season, the Canucks emerged victorious 6-2 in Ottawa Dec. 1 as Adam Gaudette and Brady Tkachuk had goals that night for the Sens.
Who to watch
Travis Hamonic will play his first game in Vancouver tonight since the Senators acquired him March 20.
In 13 games with Ottawa, the d-man is pointless while he averages 19:05 a night. Hamonic played 62 games with Vancouver over two seasons after previous stops with the New York Islanders and Calgary Flames.
Where to watch
Tuesday's game can be seen live on TSN5 and RDS at 10 p.m. Fans can also tune into the radio call on TSN 1200 and Unique FM 94,5.
