Derek Lee and Patrick Present discuss Lukas Dostal's dominance early in the season The Anaheim Ducks (9-10-3) will continue their four-game home stand when they host the Ottawa Senators (10-12-1), who will play their second game of a back-to-back after losing to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday by a score of 5-2. Takeaways from the Ducks 2-1 Loss to the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/game-day/takeaways-from-the-ducks-2-1-loss-to-the-kings] The Ducks feel they've left some points on the board in their last four games, as they've only managed three points, but all their losses have been by a single goal. The Sens are battling to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference standings after losing five of their last seven games. NUMBERS Tim Stutzle (29 points in 23 games) and Brady Tkachuk (25 points in 23 games) drive a significant portion of the Sens' offense and are each on a well above-point-per-game pace this season. However, in a combined 16 career games against Anaheim, they have only managed five points. Stutzle is on a six-game point streak, scoring eight during that stretch. Tkachuk has six points in his last four games. Claude Giroux has five points in his last five games and a career 23 points in 24 games against the Ducks despite having only scored four goals on 75 shots (5.3%). Ottawa native Mason McTavish has two goals in three career games against the Sens. He only has one point in three games since returning from an upper-body injury. Troy Terry has four points in his last three games and four in six career games against Ottawa. While Ducks' skaters don't have stellar career numbers against the Sens, their goaltenders do. In eight starts, John Gibson is 4-2-2 with a .945 SV%. Only two Sens have a shooting percentage of more than 6% against Gibson: Michael Amadio (13.6%) and Drake Batherson (25%). Lukas Dostal has a 1-1-0 record against Ottawa with a .942 SV%. The only active Sen to have scored a goal on Dostal is Giroux (one goal on six shots). The Sens' likely starting goaltender is Linus Ullmark after Anton Forsberg started Saturday's game against the Kings. Ullmark is 3-2-1 in his career against the Ducks with a .927 SV% and one shutout. Frank Vatrano, Ryan Strome, Trevor Zegras, and Troy Terry combine for four goals on 79 shots (5%) in their careers against Ullmark. SCOUTING REPORT LINEUP The Sens lineup features a potent top-six forward group with Tkachuk-Stutzle-Gaudette and Giroux-Norris-Batherson making up the team's top two lines. Their third line of Reinhardt-Pinto-Amadio has taken most of the defensive assignments of late. They deploy a three-headed monster on their blueline with Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, and Nick Jensen. All three players are averaging over 20 minutes per night for the Sens this season. They've recently split them into three separate pairs and will shrink the rotation as tight games come down to the wire. SYSTEMS With the size up front and their active defensemen, the Sens thrive off cycle chances offensively, whether in corners or at the top of the zone. They run a traditional box-plus-one zone defensive coverage scheme with centers aggressive to help in corner battles. Their PK is similar to the Ducks in that they pressure heavily at the top of the zone until zone-time is sustained before collapsing into a tight diamond. The Sens' power play runs through Tim Stutzle on the left flank. They feed him high in the zone near the blueline so he can attack downhill. He typically feeds to a released Brady Tkachuk or Drake Batherson on the goal line, whose first option is a quick pass to the other in the bumper. The Ducks have an all-time record of 24-12-7 against the Senators. Ducks May Not Be Represented at 4 Nations Face-Off––and That's Okay [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/ducks-may-not-be-represented-at-4-nations-face-off-and-thats-okay] Ducks' Broadcasters, Coach Offer Thoughts on Jessica Campbell, 'Women in Sports' [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/ducks-broadcasters-coach-offer-thoughts-on-jessica-campbell-women-in-sports]
