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OTTAWA SENATORS 8-16-1 at FLORIDA PANTHERS 18-5-4
Tonight, 7pm, FLA Live Arena
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TV : TSN5
RADIO: TSN 1200-AM, exclusive 94.5-FM
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Senators begin this three-game road trip that will make stops in Tampa and Philadelphia before the club returns home Sunday. The Senators are 3-7-1 on the road this season and if this changes completely, that has to change. Expect to see goalie Anton Forsberg make the start after he had 25 saves in a 4-0 shutout Saturday against the Bolts. A strong defensive game is the key because the Panthers can score.
POINT LEADERS
OTTAWA SENATORS
Drake Batherson 20 8 16 24 +4
Brady Tkachuk 22 11 10 21 +3
Josh Norris 25 12 7 19 Even
FLORIDA PANTHERS
Jonathan Huberdeau 27 9 22 31 +7
Aaron Ekblad 28 8 16 24 +19
Carter Verhaeghe 27 7 15 22 +8
SPECIAL TEAMS
OTT PP 19.1% 15th; PK 75.3% 27th
FLA PP 18.8% 17th; PK 81% 16th
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THREE THINGS ABOUT PANTHERS
one. This is a huge challenge for Ottawa because the Panthers are tough to beat at home. The club is 14-1-0 at Sunrise this season with the only loss coming to expansion Seattle Kraken on November 27. Florida goes into this game on a three-game win streak at home and has only one regulation loss in its last six with a 4-1-1 record in that stretch. The Panthers lost a 3-2 decision to the Avs on the road Sunday.
two. It would make sense if we saw goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovksy in this one. He is 12-2-2 in 18 appearances this season with an average of 2.37 goals against and a .920 save percentage. In 16 career games against the Senators, Bobrovksy is 10-5-1 with a GAA of 2.39 and a .913 save percentage. Given the fact that the Panthers are coming home from a long trip, this may make sense.
3. The addition of forward Joe Thornton, 42, has been good for the Panthers. They needed veteran leadership and their acquisition fit the bill. In 64 career games against the Senators, he has 29 goals and 54 points. This will be the 1,697th game of Thornton’s NHL career. He has 428 goals and 1,534 points in that stretch and those are remarkable numbers. He is twelfth in league history in points.
Reference-ottawasun.com