Here's everything you need to know as the Senators finally return to action on Friday night, hosting the New York Islanders.
With Sweden now in their rearview mirror, the Ottawa Senators are in catchup mode and not just in terms of the playoff race. The Sens have played an NHL-low 15 games (8-7) and stand four points (and six teams) removed from the final Eastern wild card spot.
The last time the Senators were in Sweden was in 2017 when they came home and lost 12 of their next 13 games. Later that same season, they began a rebuild they're still trying to complete.
The real challenge after Global Series trips, due to the required travel and recovery, is having to play a condensed schedule to make up for lost time. That means less rest in preparation for meaningful games. And in all likelihood, after another slow start, they're all going to be meaningful games for the Senators. As light as it's been, there are still only two games scheduled for the last nine days of November – Friday against the Islanders and then Monday vs Florida.
But in each of December and January, the Senators have 15 games on their schedule.
Next Game: Senators host the New York Islanders Friday night (7:30 pm RDS, TSN5). The Isles won the last meeting on October 26th, 3-2. That game was marked by a scary incident involving Erik Brannstrom, who was stretchered off the ice with a concussion after a hard body check by Cal Clutterbuck.
The Senators are on a three-game winning streak that will be tricky to draw momentum from. The three victories have been scattered over 13 days. The Sens are only a point behind the Islanders and have two games in hand.
Watch for our full game day preview available on Friday. Be sure to bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa and visit often.
Roster News: The Senators are still without Thomas Chabot (hand/wrist), Ridly Greig (lower body) and Mark Kastelic (lower body). Chabot is getting better, even backfilling at winger at practice this week. Of course, he has to miss at least two more games to hit the 10 game absence that long term injured reserve rules require. Chabot makes the Sens blue line a little better, but his return and his $8 million salary will also mean the end of the club's cap relief, and the renewal of roster problems.
Tim Stutzle missed practice Tuesday as a maintenance day. Head coach D.J. Smith is leaning on the 21-year-old hard, as Stutzle averages almost three minutes more ice time per night (22:20) than any other Sens forward this season. With the hard schedule coming up, Smith is playing the "rest is a weapon" card.
After the trip to Sweden, reinforcements Mads Sogaard, Matthew Highmore, Tyler Kleven, and Jacob Larsson were sent back to Belleville.
Lines at Practice Tuesday:
Forwards:
Tkachuk-Norris-Tarasenko
Joseph-Giroux-Kelly
Kubalik-Jarventie-Batherson
Chabot-Chartier-MacEwen
Defence:
Sanderson-Zub
Chychrun-Bernard-Docker
Brannstrom-Hamonic
Sens Nation Podcast:
Former Senator Mark Borowiecki joins Steve Warne to discuss the last time the Senators went to Sweden and the collapse when they returned.
Listen to Episode 294: Sens Nation Podcast
In this one, we discuss the Senators successful business trip to Sweden. Now that they're back, can they avoid the horrific slump they had after winning two games in Sweden back in 2017? The slump that started the rebuild? Mark Borowiecki was on that team. He joins us to provide his opinion and update us on how his new job in Nashville is going.