Ottawa Senators Playoff Preview
It's Go time in Ottawa!!!
What a difference 12 months can make. Since taking over as GM of the Sens, Steph has made it his mission to win now. Completely overhauling the roster has paid off as the Sens finished 2nd overall in points and had 2 of the top 4 point getters in the league. Led by the dynamic trio of Giroux-Crosby-Seguin, the Sens quickly turned things around after a dreaded 3-7-0 start, with the Sens having the best record in the league since the 10 game mark. With several key additions throughout the season such as Joe Thornton, Zach Parise, Tyler Johnson and Vlad Namestnikov, the Sens are primed for a gauntlet of a playoff run. And a gauntlet it will be! Round 1 has the boys matching up against the formidable Tampa Bay Lightning. Having 1-2-1 in 4 matchups vs the Bolts in the regular season, the Sens know they have to be ready to elevate their game if they want to come out ahead. This should be a battle, with the Sens powerhouse offence matching up against the Lighting’s deep blue line. Expect lots of goals, as both teams combined for an average of 6 goals per game vs each other this season. Coach Barry Trotz announced this morning that Martin Jones would be getting the nod for game 1, and he expects to roll with the same lines as they’ve been utilizing for the past few weeks, with Jimmy Vesey and Martin Hanzal playing the role of the black aces and Adam Pelech still 3 weeks away from being ready to return. Also, the league announced today that the Sens were the biggest revenue generator in sponsorship money, with 12.5m dollars in income. Owner Eugene Melnyk was so excited to make money, he had a heart attack and died after nobody in the Sens office was able or willing to help. RIP.
Tonights Lines:
LW C RW
Giroux Crosby Seguin
Marchessault Thornton Zucker
Namestnikov Johnson Parise
Sissons Bonino Pearson
LD RD
Ekman-Larsson Ekholm
Vlasic Hjalmarsson
Miller Hunwick
G
Jones
