GAMEDAY 5: Senators vs. Maple Leafs, April 16
The set-up
The Sens (28-40-5) made it a perfect two-game road trip Thursday night after a 3-2 win in Boston, two days after a 4-1 win in Detroit.
Toronto (48-20-6) beat Washington 7-3 Thursday and are 8-1-1 over their last 10 games as they sit second in the Atlantic Division.
Led by Auston Matthews 58 goals, the Maple Leafs are the NHL's second highest scoring team as they average 3.84 goals per game. Their power play converts at a staggering 28.0 per cent rate, the best in the league, however, they are 0-for-15 in their last three games.
Ottawa went 2-for-6 on the man advantage in Boston Thursday and since March 5, own the fourth best power play in the league at 30.0 per cent. The Senators will have to be careful while up a man though as Toronto's 13 shorthanded goals lead the league.
Tonight's contest will likely feature a lot of shots; over their last 16 games, the Sens have failed to record 30 or more shots just four times while Toronto has hit 30 shots in 17 of their last 21 games.
Furthermore, the Leafs own the best faceoff percentage in the NHL at 55.3 per cent while their 21 road wins are tied for eighth in the NHL. The Sens 29.46 hits per 60 minutes continues to lead the NHL.
Ottawa is 13-21-3 at home this season.
Roster notes
The Senators are still without Mathieu Joseph and according to head coach D.J. Smith, there's no guarantee he returns before the end of the regular season.
"It's probably a little worse than what we thought," Sens head coach D.J. Smith said. "It's nothing grave but it's going to be tight if he gets back in ... it's more of a timeline thing but it's nothing real serious.
With that in mind, no changes are expected to tonight's lineup. Anton Forsberg is expected to start in goal. The Swede won both starts on the road this week and is 19-16-3 with a .919 save percentage and 2.73 GAA this season. The Sens did reassign Mads Sogaard to Belleville Saturday morning and recalled Filip Gustavsson.
The Senators skated this morning and lined up as follows:
Tkachuk - Norris - Brown
Formenton - Stützle - Batherson
Tierney - White - Gaudette
Kelly - Gambrell - Watson
Del Zotto - Hamonic
Brannstrom - Zub
Holden - Zaitsev
Mete
Previous history
The Sens and Bruins have met 135 times previously with the Sens holding a 69-52-11 record with three ties. In Ottawa, the Sens have won 39 of 67 games.
The 409 goals the Sens have scored against the Maple Leafs is their second most against one team in franchise history while their 135 games rank fourth.
Ottawa is 1-2-0 against the Maple Leafs this season. The Sens won their home opener Oct. 14 3-2 but dropped road decisions on Oct. 16 and Jan. 1.
Alex Formenton, Josh Norris and Chris Tierney all have goals versus the Leafs this season.
Tonight concludes the Battle of Ontario this season.
Who to watch
Brady Tkachuk has been producing offensively for the Sens over their last 11 games as he's tallied seven goals and 14 points.
The Senators' captain continues to lead the team in points (58) while his goals (27) and assists (31) rank second on the team. Tkachuk averages 18:37 a night and ranks fourth in the NHL with 248 hits.
Where to watch
Saturday's game can be seen live on CBC, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific and TVAS2 at 7 p.m. Fans can also tune into the radio call on TSN 1200 and Unique FM 94,5.
