(SportsNetwork.com) – The Ottawa Senators hope to remain perfect on a four-
game homestand when they shoot for a third straight victory in Saturday’s
matchup with the Winnipeg Jets.
Ottawa had lost two straight before beginning its current stay at Canadian
Tire Centre on Tuesday with a 3-1 victory over Detroit. The Senators followed
it up with a 3-0 decision over Minnesota on Thursday as Paul MacLean’s club
improved to 4-0-2 as the host this season.
Although the Senators were outshot by a 35-17 margin on Thursday, Craig
Anderson was able to record his second shutout of the season. Mike Hoffman
scored twice to fuel Ottawa’s offense and Clarke MacArthur also tallied in the
win.
“They’re doing a great job right now,” said MacArthur on Ottawa’s goaltending
tandem of Anderson and Robin Lehner. “They’ve given us an opportunity every
night to win.”
Anderson improved to 4-2-1 with a 1.84 goals against average this season for
Ottawa, while Lehner is 3-1-1 with a 2.54 GAA. Both goaltenders could receive
a start this weekend, as the Sens are also in action Sunday when they cap
their homestand against Toronto.
The Sens will aim for their second three-game winning streak of the season
tonight. Ottawa claimed four straight victories from Oct. 11-18.
The Jets have not fared well against the Senators since moving from Atlanta to
Winnipeg prior to the 2011-12 season. Ottawa has claimed seven of nine
meetings since the relocation and has taken three straight in this series. The
Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise had won five of seven over the Sens before the
Thrashers left Georgia for Manitoba.
Ottawa has claimed two in a row and three of the past five meetings in
Canada’s capital.
Winnipeg hopes to get back in the win column tonight after losing for the
first time this month in Wednesday’s shootout setback against visiting
Pittsburgh.
The Jets opened November with a 3-0 record before losing 4-3 to the Penguins,
but Winnipeg was able to extend its point streak to seven games (5-0-2).
Sidney Crosby scored the deciding shootout goal at MTS Centre to give
Pittsburgh its sixth consecutive win. After both he and fellow Penguin star
Evgeni Malkin were held off the scoresheet through overtime, they each scored
in the deciding phase.
“When it comes down to a skills competition, shootouts, against guys like
Crosby, and Malkin, that’s not a situation you want to put yourself in,” Jets
forward Blake Wheeler said.
Andrew Ladd, Evander Kane and Jacob Trouba scored in regulation for the Jets,
while Wheeler delivered two assists and tallied his team’s lone shootout goal.
Ondrej Pavelec absorbed a tough loss for Winnipeg after making 32 saves on 35
shots.
