After a long road trip the Senators are back at Canadian Tire Centre and set to play the Penguins for the final time this season. Get your tickets here.
The third and final meeting between these two Eastern Conferences foes with a lot of history will give the Senators a chance to sweep the season series against the Penguins as they look to end their recent skid. The Senators have had the Penguins number in recent years. Winners of five of the last six including both match ups this season first winning 5-2 in Pittsburgh back in October before taking the last game before Christmas break 5-4 in overtime.
The Senators have had a tough stretch of late losing seven straight games and coming off a four-game road trip that saw them earn just one point. The Sens have been a much better team at home with 36 of their 54 points coming when they are the home team and their last win coming at Canadian Tire Centre against the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 24. Tonight will be the first home game with newly acquired Boris Katchouk and the first game since Vladimir Tarasenko was traded to the Florida Panthers. The Senators will look to lean on some of that home mojo to get back in the win column here.
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It's been a particularly hard time in Penguin land this past week. The Penguins are riding a three-game losing streak being outscored 15-1 in that stretch and losing Jake Guentzel via a trade to Carolina at the deadline. However, they didn't lose him for nothing bringing Michael Bunting joins the Penguins ranking sixth in points already.
The Penguins still rely heavily on their veteran core of Sidney Crosby (64), Evgeni Malkin (48), Kris Letang (38), and now familiar face Erik Karlsson (43) who are all over 35 points on the season. Crosby in particular is showing no signs of aging, pacing for 42 goals which would be the third most in his 19-year career. Sitting just eight points out of the last Wild Card spot, the Penguins will lean on that veteran core tonight as they try to make a late season push.
