Now... where were we?
After ending an eight-year playoff drought last spring, the Ottawa Senators begin a brand new season Thursday night, easing oh, so gently into the new campaign with two road games against heated division rivals and perennial powerhouses.
No biggie.
It’ll be a visit to Tampa tonight against the Lightning, then Sunrise on Saturday to take on the Panthers. The two Florida teams ended their preseasons in ornery fashion — trying to settle old scores and beat the tar out of each other – so as far as compete-level goes, they're both wide awake to open a new year, and looking to make a good impression on their fans.
As the Senators contend with all that, they'll also be without Drake Batherson and Tyler Kleven, both still nursing injuries. If not for their absence, Ottawa’s lineup would look almost identical to the one that bowed out in six games to the Toronto Maple Leafs last May.
But with Batherson sidelined and Adam Gaudette signing in San Jose over the summer, two free agent signings slip into the forward mix and make their Sens debuts tonight. Lars Eller will, of course, be an everyday player in the bottom six, and it looks like Olle Lycksell will slot in tonight as the 12th forward.
On defense, Kleven’s absence means Donovan Sebrango draws in on the third pair beside Nikolas Matinpalo.
That leaves newcomer Jordan Spence, a right shot, on the outside looking in — at least for opening night. Earlier today, THN's Graeme Nichols wrote about Spence starting his Sens career in the press box.
Jordan Spence: A Healthy Scratch For Ottawa Senators Season Opener
The acquisition of Jordan Spence in the offseason was a move that garnered a lot of praise around the nation's capital because of the shortcomings the Senators had last season with their right-shot depth.
There was some discussion about Spence playing his wrong side in Kleven’s place, but the Sens opted for Sebrango, the natural lefty, who has just two career NHL games under his belt.
If there’s an upside to the 5-foot-11, 188-pound Spence sitting out, it’s that he won’t have to retrieve pucks in the corner against a Tampa forecheck that will include 6-foot-9, 242-pound Curtis Douglas. The 25-year-old Chara-sized forward was claimed off waivers from Utah earlier this week and is expected to make his NHL debut tonight.
Ottawa Senators Projected Lineup vs Tampa Bay
Forwards
Tkachuk – Stützle – Zetterlund
Perron – Cozens – Amadio
Greig – Pinto – Giroux
Cousins – Eller – Lycksell
Defense
Sanderson – Zub
Chabot – Jensen
Sebrango – Matinpalo
Goaltenders
Ullmark (starter)
Meriläinen
Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lineup
Forwards
Guentzel – Point – Kucherov
Hagel – Cirelli – Goncalves
Bjorkstrand – Gourde – Chaffee
Geekie – Holmberg – Douglas
Defense
Hedman – Raddysh
McDonagh – Cernak
Lilleberg – Crozier
Goaltenders
Vasilevskiy
Johansson
As for last season, Tampa finished seventh overall in the NHL last season, just five points ahead of Ottawa, their expansion cousins. The two clubs split their four-game season series, 2-2. The game plan remains relatively simple. Keep Tampa's top line in check, and you give yourself a chance. But if they go off, as they often do, it's lights out. No Ottawa player last season had more points than Jake Guentzel (80), Brayden Point (82) and Nikita Kucherov (121).
The Sens went 3-3 in preseason while Tampa finished 6-1, which head coach Jon Cooper put zero stock in.
"I've seen teams in the league that have gone undefeated in the preseason and didn't make the playoffs that year. So you take parts of your game out of the preseason, but the win-loss record is kind of irrelevant, to be honest."
That all changes tonight, as things get real. Faceoff is 7 pm on TSN5.
More Sens Headlines From The Hockey News Ottawa:
Travis Green Says Senators Are 'Headed In the Right Direction'
Senators Send Yakemchuk To The Minors, Place Batherson And Kleven On IR
Sens Land A True NHL Heavyweight In A Deal With The Devils
More Senators Broadcast Changes: Marc Methot Out At TSN
Brady Tkachuk On Starring In Prime Video Show: 'I'm An Open Book To Begin With'
Broadcast Frustrations Resurface For Senators Fans