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Saturday NHL game preview: Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs
Senators hit town on a bit of a roll for date with Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre.
Saturday NHL game preview: Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto Star
Mike Hoffman's overtime winner against Nashville on Thursday was also the 100th career goal for the Senators forward. (Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
By Mark ZwolinskiSports Reporter
Fri., Feb. 9, 2018
AIR CANADA CENTRE
FACEOFF: 7 p.m.
TV: SN
RADIO: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
KEY PLAYERS
Hoffman/Nylander
Ottawa forward Mike Hoffman scored in overtime on Thursday night to hand the Senators a 4-3 win over Nashville. It was the 100th goal of Hoffman’s career, and he now has a five-game points streak (three goals, four assists). Leafs forward William Nylander has been hot as well, with three goals and nine assists in his last seven games.
NEED TO KNOW
Thursday’s win over Nashville was a huge one for the Senators, who have been struggling with inconsistent goaltending and shaky special teams. The win was their fourth in their past five games and came in Kyle Turris’ first game back since the Senators traded him to Nashville. The Senators are 13-38 since Turris was traded . . . Matt Duchene also has a hot hand for the Senators with six goals and eight assists in his last nine games … Colin White doesn’t garner many headlines, but he has a reputation as one of the best forecheckers in the Eastern Conference . . . Star defenceman Erik Karlsson notched an assist in Thursday’s win to reach 492 career points, passing Alexei Yashin for third place on the Senators’ scoring list.
UP NEXT
Monday vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
Game Day: Senators at Maple Leafs
Lance HornbyMore from Lance Hornby
Game Day: Senators at Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson. (FRED CHARTRAND/The Canadian Press files)
OTTAWA SENATORS AT TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Saturday, 7 P.M. Air Canada Centre
TV: Sportsnet; RADIO: 590 AM
THE BIG MATCHUP
G Frederik Andersen vs. G Craig Anderson
Unlike the uneven results of the last Leafs five-game home stand, Andersen has a shot at going 3-0 tonight. He also beat the Sens in Ottawa Jan. 20 with the Leafs coming up with a big third period offensively. Anderson is keeping the playoff-challenged Sens in games and they took an unexpected point from Nashville on Thursday.
KEYS TO THE GAME
Specialty scoring
Ottawa’s special teams are suffering, and though Toronto’s power play has dropped off a bit, it would be unwise for the Sens to start hauling down the faster Leafs through the neutral zone.
Mellow Marleau
The calendar year 2018 has been hard on forward Patrick Marleau so far, but the veteran is due for a breakout. It was Marleau’s forceful intermission speech that made such a difference in the last Battle Of Ontario.
Hoff course
Forward Mike Hoffman’s 100th NHL goal was the winner on Thursday against Nashville. He has seven goals and 11 points in 19 games against the Leafs, one of many Sens who have had success here. This is also a homecoming game for ex-Leaf draft pick Chris DiDomenico.
Puck struck
With 887 blocks, the Sens are second in the NHL in the kind of category that can dull the Leaf offence.
Use the fourth
Kasperi Kapanen’s arrival has given Toronto’s fourth line some offensive flair it lacked with Matt Martin. The suspension of Ottawa’s Alex Burrows means Martin might not be missed as much in what is usually a physical encounter. Ottawa is leaning towards an 11-7 forward/defence split for this game.
SENATORS GAME DAY LINES
LW C RW
Ryan Dzingel Derick Brassard Mark Stone
Mike Hoffman Matt Duchene Colin White
Magnus Paajarvi Jean-Gabriel Pageau Tom Pyatt
Zack Smith Chris DiDomenico
DEFENCE PAIRINGS
Johnny Oduya Erik Karlsson
Dion Phaneuf Cody Ceci
Thomas Chabot Mark Borowiecki/Fredrik Claesson
GOALIES
Craig Anderson
Mike Condon
SICK BAY
D Dennis Wideman
D Tomas Chlapik
F Clarke McArthur
F Bobby Ryan
F Gabriel Dumont
MAPLE LEAFS GAME DAY LINES
LW C RW
Zach Hyman Auston Matthews William Nylander
James van Riemsdyk Tyler Bozak Mitch Marner
Patrick Marleau Nazem Kadri Connor Brown
Leo Komarov Dominic Moore Kasperi Kapanen
DEFENCE PAIRINGS
Jake Gardiner Nikita Zaitsev
Morgan Rielly Ron Hainsey
Travis Dermott Connor Carrick/Roman Polak
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen
Curtis McElhinney
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power Play
Toronto 20.6% (15th)
Ottawa 16.5% (26th)
Penalty Killing
Toronto 82.6% (5th)
Ottawa 75.0% (28th)
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