Senators Look To Keep Offence Rolling Against Struggling Ducks

The Ottawa Senators will look to keep their offence rolling on Sunday night when they face the Anaheim Ducks in the fourth game of their five-game road trip.

After opening with a loss in Vegas, the Senators have taken three of a possible four points in their last two games, scoring 10 goals in the process.

The Senators (9-5-1) visit the Ducks (5-7-1) at Honda Center at 8 p.m. ET, a day after defeating the Sharks 5-1 in San Jose on Saturday afternoon.

Sens Sniping

The Senators' offence has come alive over the past two games, beginning with Thursday's wild comeback in Los Angeles. Trailing 5-1 with less than 13 minutes remaining, the Sens scored four unanswered goals to force overtime before falling 6-5 to the Kings.

They followed that up with another five-goal performance in San Jose, breaking open a 1-1 game with three goals in a seven-minute span during the second period. Dylan Cozens, Tim Stützle and Shane Pinto each had a goal and an assist in the game.

The offensive spike has been encouraging, especially when you consider the injuries that have forced head coach Travis Green to juggle his lineup throughout this trip.

Warren Foegele and Andre Burakovsky were both injured during the Western swing, while Hayden Hodgson is serving a two-game suspension. The absences prompted the club to recall Philip Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault from Belleville on Friday.

Both suited up against San Jose, with Tomasino picking up an assist and making a positive first impression. It's not a stretch to suggest that the 25-year-old former first-rounder had more impact in his Sens debut than Burakovsky or Hodgson have had in any game this season.

Stützle enters Sunday's matchup tied for 7th in the NHL in points (21). He and Drake Batherson are tied for 9th in the league in goals (9).

Ducks' Hunt For Defence

The Sens are in a position to keep the good times rolling offensively, because Anaheim has been struggling to keep the puck out of their net.

The Ducks have lost seven of their last eight games (1-6-1), surrendering 37 goals during that stretch, including 13 in their last two outings.

They blew a 5-2 third-period lead in a 6-5 overtime loss to Vancouver on Tuesday, then squandered a 3-1 advantage in a 7-6 loss to Buffalo on Thursday.

With the way they're scoring (11 goals scored in those two losses), the Ducks just need to be average defensively to start winning hockey games.

To that end, the Sens would be well-advised to stay out of the box. The Ducks' power play is currently clicking at an impressive 28.6 percent. The Sens are struggling in that area at only 12.9.

Who Starts in Goal?

The Senators have an interesting goaltending decision to make.

Samuel Ersson earned his first victory as a Senator on Saturday, providing some welcome stability while Linus Ullmark is out.

Standard practice would suggest Jonas Johansson gets the call in the second half of a back-to-back.

But Ersson hasn't exactly been overworked this season, and with the Senators not playing again until Wednesday in Buffalo, there's less need to worry about rest in this case.

With Ersson giving up just one goal on Saturday, he has to be feeling better about his game, so there's some merit to the idea of giving him another go on Sunday. But we'll find out later in the day.

Ullmark was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 22 and was expected to miss one-to-two weeks, so his return could be imminent after the Sens end their western swing tonight.

A victory Sunday would give the Sens five of a possible eight points through four games of their Western trip and there aren't many teams in the league that wouldn't be happy with that.

But it won't come easy.

The Sens are playing on short rest at the end of a week-long western road trip. The Ducks, on the other hand, have had plenty of rest. They've been home all week and haven't played a game since Thursday.

So despite the Ducks' recent struggles, closing out this trip on a winning note will be a major challenge.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa