After the Friday night debacle in Carolina, the Ottawa Senators will look to put that performance in the rear view mirror as they open up a back to back Florida style Sunday night against the Panthers.

The Senators are hopeful (it will probably be a game time decision) that they will get their best forward back in the lineup in Mark Stone, which will be a huge boost to their chances. Stone, along with another top scorer in Mike Hoffman (who will not play) have missed the last two games. Stone is out with a stiff neck after the hit from Jacob Trouba of the Jets on Tuesday night while Hoffman nurses a groin injury.

The Senators swapped out their AHL replacements yesterday, sending Max McCormick and Casey Bailey back to Binghamton and recalling Mike Blunden and Phil Varone yesterday.

The Panthers have given the Senators trouble this season, as Ottawa has just 2 of 6 possible points in the three previous meetings. Their 2-0 shutout win was sandwiched between losses of 4-1 and 6-5.

Craig Anderson has started the last two games for Ottawa and given his past success against the Panthers, he will probably get the call tonight with Mike Condon getting the back half of the set in Tampa tomorrow. Anderson is 13-7-2 in 23 career starts against his former team. Meanwhile, Florida's probably starter, Roberto Luongo, is 16-15-1 against the Senators.

The fact that the Montreal - Toronto game was a 3 point affair means that things are tightening up in the Atlantic Division, but fortunately Montreal came out on the winning end. Too many people are rooting for, or making a big deal of, the Senators potential to overtake the Canadiens. Am I the only one who thinks the best spot for the Sens is to finish in the 2 hole? Playing the third place team in the Atlantic with home ice advantage is far preferable in terms of potential matchup than the first Wild Card team, which is pretty much assured to be either Columbus or the New York Rangers, with an outside shot of it being the Penguins.

That being said, they also have to avoid being overtaken by the Leafs, Bruins and even the Panthers who made noise by sweeping their recent 5 game road trip to get back in the thick of the race, but have lost their two games at home since that streak.

However, preferred matchup aside, the Senators just have to focus on playing the type of game that Guy Boucher demands that they play. Whether exciting or not, it is the most effective way they have played this season and they can't worry about where they finish, but finishing in a playoff spot and play the best they can with whoever they have in the lineup on any given night.

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