The biggest question heading into the game between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs at ACC Saturday night is, who will start in net for the Senators. The way things are going, it could be me, but I am not going to hold my breath and wait for that call.
With Andrew Hammond on the limp and Craig Anderson being "close", it could be Chris Driedger making his first career start, after making his debut in relief on Thursday night against the Rangers. He stopped all 10 shots he faced in just over 20 minutes of action.
If the Senators play like they did on Thursday, it really won't matter who suits up in goal, because it was an almost universal poor performance, but then again the Leafs certainly aren't the Rangers.
The free falling Leafs have questions of their own in net, as there has been a revolving door between Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer not only game to game, but also in-game. Coach Peter Horacek has had to pull the hook out 4 times in March alone and twice in the last 3 games, including Ottawa's 5-3 win a week ago.
With the Leafs playing for nothing except draft position, and fighting amongst themselves at practice, this is certainly a game that the Senators should take if they bring their "A" game. That being said, nothing can be taken for granted when it comes to the Leafs-Sens, and anything can happen and usually does.
After playing 20+ games in a row of pretty solid hockey, the letdown against the Rangers was certainly almost inevitable, but the key for Ottawa is to put that one behind them as a one-off and return to the style and form that they have had since mid-February, regardless of who is between the pipes.
By the time they take to the ice, the Sens will know where they stand in terms of playoff positioning, with the Bruins facing the Rangers at 1:00 pm. They currently sit tied for the final playoff spot with the Senators holding the edge in terms of having a game in hand, but trail in the all-important tiebreaker of regulation and overtime wins. If the Rangers, who are battling a number of teams for the President's Trophy, can play a similar game to what they put on the ice in Ottawa two days ago, then I don't know if the Bruins will have much more of an answer than the Senators did.
Either way, while not in the category of "must win" this is an important game for the Senators because not only do they need the two points, but they also need to show that Thursday was the exception rather than the rule.