At this point in the season, every game matters. That will be especially true on Tuesday night, when the Ottawa Senators take to the ice against the Anaheim Ducks. The importance of this matchup between the 2007 Stanley Cup Finalists doesn’t stem from any Stanley Cup-related implications this time around, but rather the race for 2020 draft lottery odds. The Ducks sit only one point up on the Senators in the standings.
The good news for the Senators as they head into this vitally important stretch of the schedule is that they are trending in the “right… direction:
Senators' expected goal share trending down. pic.twitter.com/BiKIky4vkn
— Graeme Nichols (@6thSens) February 3, 2020
Zooming back in on Tuesday’s action, TSN 1200 reported Monday’s practice lines as follows:
Tkachuk-Pageau-C. Brown Ennis-Anisimov-Batherson Namestnikov-Tierney-Duclair Chlapik-White-Sabourin
Chabot-Hainsey Borowiecki-DeMelo Reilly-Zaitsev
If the Senators’ own fortunes aren’t enough of an inspiration, it’s worth noting that an Anaheim win combined with a San Jose loss to the Calgary Flames would result in the Sharks dropping to 27th in the standings. Simply put, Tuesday’s game is a big one on multiple fronts.
Enjoy the action!