The Ottawa Senators will face their section rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, for the second time this season this evening, starting at 7:00 p.m. (ET). Tonight’s game will be the last in a nine-game road streak for the Senators, a streak that began Dec. 17 with a 3-0 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Fans will be able to watch this evening’s game on TSN5 or RDS, or listen to the description live on TSN 1200 or Unique FM radio.
The Senators will be hungry tonight, having suffered defeats in their last two outings. In their most recent matchup, they lost 4-0 to the St. Louis Blues.
Following two long stays abroad during which the Canadian Tire Center hosted the World Junior Championship, the Senators returned home to practice at the Sensplex yesterday.
Defender Jacob Bernard-Docker suffered an injury during yesterday’s practice and will be unavailable for tonight’s game. Travis Hamonic will also be out tonight after being injured during the team’s game against St. Louis.
The Senators made two roster changes yesterday, as the team recalled forward Jan Jenik and defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo from the AHL farm team in Belleville. Matinpalo most recently played for the Senators on Dec. 29 in a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Matinpalo played 24 games with the Belleville Senators this season, scoring two goals and six assists for a total of eight points. Jan Jenik participated in 13 games with Belleville this season, scoring four goals and adding three assists for a total of seven points.
Additionally, the Senators made another roster change this morning as the team recalled defenseman Max Guenette from the Belleville Senators. In 27 outings with Belleville this season, Guenette has collected nine points, including three goals and six assists. He is the third point scorer among the team’s defensemen.
The Detroit Red Wings are running at full speed, currently enjoying a four-game winning streak. In their last game, Saturday, they defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-2.
The Senators’ last duel against the Red Wings dates back to December 5 at home, when Ottawa won 2-1. Josh Norris then scored twice for the Senators while Linus Ullmark blocked 19 shots to post a save percentage of .950.
The two teams will face each other four times this season, as was the case in 2023-2024. The Senators then won the series 3-1, including a 5-4 overtime victory in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series. Forward Tim Stützle scored the winning goal in overtime for the benefit of the Senators, in spectacular fashion, he who had knocked down the puck on the fly to give his team the victory.
Due to the strong rivalry between the two teams and the recent successes of their opponents, the Senators will have their work cut out for them to seek victory this evening, in a clash that promises to be very lively.
