This is the last game in North America the Senators will play for 13 days and head coach D.J. Smith says the upcoming trip to Sweden couldn't come at a better time.
The Matchup: Calgary Flames (4-7-2, sixth in the Pacific) at Ottawa Senators (5-7-0, last in the Atlantic)
Faceoff: Thursday, November 7th, 2023, 7 p.m. (SportsnetOne)
The Teams: It's a battle between two struggling teams, both having started the season poorly and facing an uphill climb to get back into the playoff race. The Senators are 2-4 in their last six games, while the Flames are 2-3-1 in their previous six. Calgary and Ottawa both leak goals, with the Sens giving up 3.58 goals per game, ranking them 27th in the NHL, while the Flames are 25th with 3.54 goals per game.
The difference between the teams is mainly in scoring goals. So far this season, the Flames have had trouble scoring, with only 2.67 goals per game, while the Senators rank third in the NHL, averaging 3.83 goals a night. The Flames do not have a single player with double-digit points, while the Senators have six players with 10 or more.
If Jake Sanderson were on the Flames, he'd lead the team in points, but he ranks seventh for Ottawa.
The History: The teams split the season series last season. Many fans will remember the game in February this year, when the Senators were down 3-1 late in the third period with three minutes left and then came back, led by Tim Stutzle, who finished off the game in overtime. The Flames own the all-time matchup between the teams, with a record of 28-21-4-5.
What's New? Both teams are rife with turmoil. Nikita Zadorov has reportedly requested a trade following the Flames 5-4 overtime loss to the Leafs on Friday night.
On Tuesday night, the Flames also benched $10.5 million dollar man, Jonathan Huberdeau, for the entire third period against the Nashville Predators.
Meanwhile, the Senators are coming off a fifth straight home loss to the Canucks, 5-2, on Thursday night. They recently lost third-line center Shane Pinto to a 41-game suspension due to gambling-related activities. They also recently lost a first-round pick due to their incomplete reporting of contract information in a 2021 trade with Vegas. That resulted in GM Pierre Dorion parting ways with the club last week.
Both teams desperately need a win.
The Flames' problem is that their big stars haven't been stars this season. Their three highest-paid players, Huberdeau ($10.5 million), Nazem Kadri ($7 million), and Andrew Mangiapane ($5.8 million), each have eight points in twelve games.
Meanwhile, Flames' star forward Elias Lindholm, a 2024 UFA, who is likely trying to command a new contract north of $8 million, also has only eight points. In net, Jacob Markstrom, who struggled last season, has been underwhelming so far this season, posting a .896 save percentage.
The Senators were coming off one of their biggest wins of the year, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-3 on Wednesday night, when they fell back to earth in a loss to the Vancouver Canucks the next night, despite allowing only 16 shots.
The Senators have had terrible Novembers the last couple of years. They have not been over .500 in November since the 2016-2017 season. They are 1-3-0 so far this month. After the Canucks' game, Sens winger Drake Batherson said he feels like the Senators are close.
"I don't know what the exact answer is," Batherson said. "Obviously, we're working hard. It's just a matter of getting bounces and playing a full 60 minutes, but for the most part, we've been right there."
Senators' head coach, D.J. Smith, was not happy with the Senators' start to their game on Thursday.
"What I don't like is getting scored on 15 seconds in," Smith said. "When you have the opportunity to start, you have to be on your toes, and the first time you touch the puck, you've got to know what you're doing with it."
The Senators get the spiraling Flames on a second night of a back-to-back, with Dustin Wolf getting the start. Wolf has been an AHL stud the past two seasons and makes his second career NHL start tonight. The Senators will counter with Joonas Korpisalo (.902 save percentage). Korpisalo has been more consistent of late, with a save percentage above .900 in four of his last five games.
The Injury Front: The Senators are getting healthy again on the blue line. Artem Zub returned to the lineup on Thursday and scored. With Zub's return, Nikolas Mantipalo was sent to Belleville in the AHL. Erik Brannstrom was wearing a regular jersey at practice Saturday morning, paired with Travis Hamonic, so he'll back into the lineup. Brannstrom has been out since being stretchered off the ice with a concussion against the Islanders on October 26th.
Matthew Highmore was recalled shortly before the game on Thursday, with Zack MacEwen out of the lineup. Ridly Greig, Mark Kastelic, and Thomas Chabot remain out with injury.
Chabot was at practice in shorts and sandals, playing around with the puck and his teammates before the session began.
Lines at practice Saturday morning:
Tkachuk-Norris-Tarasenko
Joseph-Stutzle-Giroux
Kubalik-Jarventie-Batherson
Highmore-Chartier-Kelly
Sanderson-Zub
Chychrun-JBD
Brannstrom-Hamonic
After this, the Senators head for Sweden, a trip that Smith said Saturday morning, "couldn't come at a better time." Ottawa will take on Alex DeBrincat and the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday and Filip Gustavsson and the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.