GAME DAY: Senators-Blue Jackets Line Combinations

After a winless, pointless three-game homestand, the Senators will try to right their ship on the road Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio.

They’ll face the Blue Jackets, who have almost the same record as Ottawa, sitting just two points ahead of them. But with the Senators losing three straight, five of their last six, and plummeting in the Eastern Conference standings, the calibre of their opposition should be the last thing on anyone's minds.

Senators head coach Travis Green continues to fiddle with his forward lines, hoping to find some chemistry.

Nick Cousins is back down on the fourth line after starting the last game with Tim Stützle and Fabian Zetterlund. Brady Tkachuk takes his spot on that line, while David Perron moves up from the fourth line to play with Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson. 

Kurtis MacDermid draws into the lineup, meaning Steven Halliday and Olle Lycksell take a seat. There’s a good chance MacDermid and Blue Jackets tough guy Mathieu Olivier find each other at some point.

But when you’re in a slump, you look for lucky charms wherever you can find them: in MacDermid’s eight games this season, the Senators have gone 5-1-2.

Linus Ullmark will start in goal.

Senators projected lineup

Tkachuk – Stützle – Zetterlund
Perron – Cozens – Batherson
Amadio – Greig – Giroux
MacDermid – Eller – Cousins

Sanderson – Zub
Kleven – Spence
Matinpalo – Jensen

Starting goalie: Ullmark

Weird stat of the day: Daniel Alfredsson celebrates his 53rd birthday in Columbus. According to NHL.com, in his long NHL career, Alfredsson only ever played three times on his birthday.

The Blue Jackets come into this game losers of three straight as well.

Blue Jackets projected lineup (according to nhl.com)

Voronkov – Monahan – Marchenko
Johnson – Fantilli – Jenner
Wood – Coyle – Sillinger
Gaunce – Lundestrom – Chinakhov

Werenski – Provorov
Mateychuk – Severson
Smith – Fabbro

Starting goalie: Merzlikins 

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa