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Game Day: Capitals @ Senators - Third time this month, Smith re-ups |
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It will be a battle of the Nation's Capitals for the third time this month, following a pair of one goal losses to the Washington Capitals - 2-1 on New Year's Day to kick off the Senators 5-day break and then a 1-0 defeat the following Saturday in their first game back from the break.
Washington has been red-hot this month, and are on a streak of 14 straight games with at least a point, a team record that they will try to tie with a point tonight in Ottawa. They are 12-0-2 in their last 14 games, dating back to their last regulation loss on December 27th against the Islanders.
The Capitals are on a roll offensively, and have at least 4 goals in each of their last 8 games, so obviously the Senators task is to stem the tide of the Washington attack while also trying to generate some of their own offense. Ottawa is actually the only team this month to hold Washington under 4 goals, and they did it twice. The Caps have allowed 15 goals in their last 4 games (including 8 to the Penguins just over a week ago in a 8-7 OT loss) so they have been in some track meets of late.
They held Carolina to a goal on 25 shots last night in a 6-1 win on home ice before traveling to Ottawa for tonight's encounter. With the win, the Capitals are the first team to 70 points and are the top team in the league in terms of points percentage as well, but they are in a race with the Blue Jackets and Penguins, who are second and third not only in the Metropolitan division but in the league as well.
The Senators will try to put the sting of letting a 2 goal lead slip away on Sunday against the Blue Jackets, and focus on the fact that despite a tough and strange stop-start schedule in January, they are 5-1-1 since the losses to the Caps that kicked off the month, and have points in each of their last 4 starts. With the Bruins struggling to keep their heads above water with cement shoes, the Senators are in great shape for a playoff spot with two games before the All-Star break. A couple of wins would help to create some separation.
In addition to their own points streak that they would like to extend to 5, Erik Karlsson has a personal six game point streak (7 assists) but would like to crack the goal column again, as he hasn't lit the lamp himself in 18 games, since scoring against San Jose on December 7th. Curtis Lazar would also love to extend his streak to 2, after finally getting his first point of the season against the Blue Jackets on Sunday.
This will be a tough task to say the least, but Ottawa played Washington extremely close in their last two meetings so if they can do it again, stay within striking distance, they certainly are capable of knocking off Goliath and ending their streak while extending their own. Both previous meetings were low-scoring, and Ottawa can't afford to get into another track meet like they did on Sunday, although some suspect goaltending is usually present when more than 10 goals get scored in a game, and that was the case on both sides. Washington is a team you don't want to trade chances with if you hope to come out on top (unless of course you are the Penguins), especially now that they are on a roll.
One Senators player who will have 13 million reasons to come out flying is Zack Smith, who parlayed his 25 goal season last year and his 20 goal pace this season into a nice 4-year, $13M contract extension with a limited no-trade clause. The contract will kick in next season, and there are not too many people, if any, (even on social media) who think that the deal is unfair to either side, which is a rarity this day in age. I think they got this one about right, with a cap hit of $3.25 per season. The move to left wing has helped him, and he has certainly benefited from the chemistry he has developed with Mark Stone, probably the Senators player who is the best at making those around him more successful.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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