Assuming that they are more concerned with securing good draft lottery odds as opposed to meaningless victories, the Ottawa Senators will attempt to extend their losing streak to 10 games tomorrow against the Calgary Flames. The Flames, who have surged since removing Bill Peters from the organization, are 6-1-0 in their last seven games and sit atop the Pacific Division.

Under normal circumstances, picking the Flames to win this game would be a near slam-dunk. With eyes on the all-star break, however, it might be all too easy for Calgary’s skaters to look right past the Senators without giving this game the attention it deserves.

For the Senators to actually surprise the Flames and steal a victory, they are likely to need some help from one Anthony Duclair. If there’s anything this nine-game losing streak has proved, it’s that the 2019-20 Senators are about as competitive as Duclair’s offensive prowess allows them to be. This isn’t a roster full of game-breakers, but for most of November and early December Duclair played that role for this team. It’s not shocking that the team’s losing streak and Duclair’s scoreless streak have occurred at the same time.

If Friday’s practice lines are any indication, Duclair should be in a decent enough spot to snap that slump:

#Sens practice lines this AM before Calgary tomorrow. No Pageau.

Tkachuk - Anisimov - Duclair
Namestnikov - Tierney - Brown
Ennis - White - Batherson
Balcers - Chlapik - Sabourin
Boedker

Chabot - Hainsey
Borowiecki - Zaitsev
Reilly - DeMelo
Wolanin* - Goloubef

— Hailey Salvian (@hailey_salvian) January 17, 2020

Suiting up next to Brady Tkachuk when he has the extra motivation of facing his brother could be exactly what Duclair needs to get his game back on track.

On another note: J-G Pageau missed last game with an upper-body injury and was kept out of practice to end the week. D.J. Smith indicated that he is hopeful that Pageau will be ready to play against the Flames, but no official word has been communicated as of writing time. He’s another player that the Senators desperately need to stay competitive, especially against top-tier teams like the Flames.

Regardless of what happens on Saturday, this game will mark an important point in Ottawa’s season. The trade deadline is about a month away, and Pierre Dorion has a lot of work to do in advance of it. The team is going to have key decisions to make with respect to players like Pageau, Duclair, Mark Borowiecki, and others. The all-star break will hopefully give management time and space to finalize a plan of action that maximizes future benefits for the organization. This is, quite simply, a pivotal moment in the rebuild.

Enjoy the game!

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