Karlsson and the Sens will try to start turning around their negative season against Detroit, 1. Goaltending 5.
It will be an all-Atlantic Division clash when the Ottawa Senators cross the border to battle the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena Wednesday.
If Erik Karlsson is on, so, too, are the Senators. But if Karlsson is off, well ... the Senators captain owns a plus/minus of minus-20, a good indication of where the team stands.
At 12-17-8, the Senators sit seventh in the eightteam division, five points behind the fifth-place Wings (15-16-7).
Mark Stone has been a rare bright spot for the Sens. The winger, who plays with a level of maturity and accountability well beyond his 25 years, has emerged as Ottawa’s best player this season as well as a valued leader.
“I was brought up by my parents to carry myself with professionalism and character and that stuck with me so I’m trying to do that through the tough times and the good times,” Stone said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Red Wings defenceman Mike Green is quietly enjoying a fine offensive season. Green has four goals and 22 points and is averaging 22:39 of ice time per game.
Here are five things to watch Wednesday night: It’s Craig Anderson’s turn, again, to start for the Senators after Mike Condon’s two-game run ended with Saturday’s 5-0 loss to the Boston Bruins. Anderson hasn’t played since a 5-1 loss to Boston Dec. 27.
2. Special teams
Without a dramatic improvement here — the Senators allowed three power play goals to the Bruins — games will keep slipping away. Thomas Chabot has joined the first power play unit.
3. Paging Hoffman
Mike Hoffman is in an unlucky 13-game scoring slump, his last goal coming Dec. 1. When Hoffman’s not scoring, he’s not doing much else to help the Senators win games.
4. Getting to Howard
Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard is coming off a 37-save, 4-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Senators are to have success, they must get to the difficult areas around the crease.
Turning the page
Hopes of making the NHL playoffs are pretty much lost for the Senators but maybe, just maybe, they can find small positives in the development of youngsters such as Chabot and Filip Chlapik.