(SportsNetwork.com) – The struggling Ottawa Senators will try to get back on
track when they welcome the Detroit Red Wings for Tuesday’s clash at Canadian
Tire Centre.
Ottawa opened the season with a 4-1-0 record, but has posted only one victory
over its last five outings, going 1-2-2 during the stretch. Coincidentally,
the downturn has come directly after the Senators had a home game with Toronto
postponed on Oct. 22 due to the shooting death of a Canadian solider in
downtown Ottawa.
The Sens hope to right the ship on home ice, where they have yet to lose in
regulation this season. Ottawa is 2-0-2 as the host and is kicking off a four-
game homestand tonight. The residency ends on Nov. 9 with the rescheduled
meeting against Toronto.
However, Tuesday’s contest may not offer the best opportunity for Ottawa to
bounce back after two consecutive losses. The Sens have dropped six of their
last eight meetings against Detroit and the Red Wings have claimed four
straight in Canada’s capital city.
After getting dealt a shootout loss by visiting Chicago on Thursday, Ottawa
hit the road and lost a 4-2 decision Saturday in Boston. The score was tied at
1-1 after 20 minutes but Matt Fraser scored twice in the second period to put
the Bruins ahead for good.
Mark Stone and Mika Zibanejad both lit the lamp in the loss, and Robin Lehner
made 26 saves for the Senators.
“There were stretches of the game that I thought we played well,” said Stone.
“We weren’t structurally sound tonight.”
The Red Wings also hope to rebound from a loss tonight, having dropped a 3-2
shootout decision Sunday in Buffalo. Zemgus Girgensons scored the winner in
the decisive phase to halt Detroit’s two-game winning streak.
In the third round, Girgensons deked back to the forehand and lifted the puck
into the left corner of the net. Michal Neuvirth preserved the win by not
biting on Henrik Zetterberg’s fake and making the stop.
Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and an assist and Tomas Tatar also lit the lamp for
the Red Wings. Jimmy Howard finished the contest with 19 stops.
Detroit fired 38 shots on net in the loss, which came at the start of a three-
game road trip.
“It’s not like we did everything terrible,” said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock.
“When a team plays the night before you should jump all over them.”
Datsyuk has been on a tear so far this season, posting a point in all six of
his games after missing the start of 2014-15 with a separated shoulder. He has
five goals and five assists and was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on
Monday.
Craig Anderson will get the start in net for Ottawa. He is 3-5-0 with a 2.91
goals against average in his career versus Detroit. Howard will start for the
Red Wings and he is 3-2-0 with a 3.78 GAA against the Senators.
