FIVE THINGS ABOUT THE SENATORS VS. WINGS

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 on Wednesday night.

If Erik Karlsson is on, so, too, are the Senators. But if Karlsson, is off, well ... the Senators captain now owns a plus/minus of minus 20, a good indication of where the team stands right now.

At 12-17-8, the Senators sit seventh in the eight-team division, five points behind the fifth-place Wings (15-16-7).

The Wings are 4-4-2 in their past 10 games, including two straight victories. Ottawa, meanwhile, is 3-6-1 in the last 10 and are coming off a loss to Boston.

Mark Stone has been a rare bright spot for the Ottawa Senators. The winger, who plays with a level of maturity and accountability well beyond his 25 years, has emerged as the Senators best player on the ice 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.

Here’s what to watch for:

1 GOALTENDING

It’s Craig Anderson’s turn — again — to start for the Senators and to try to display some consistency after Mike Condon’s two-game run ended with Saturday’s 5-0 loss against the Boston Bruins. Anderson hasn’t played since a 5-1 loss at Boston on Dec. 27.

2 SPECIAL TEAMS

This, too, is a broken record, but without a dramatic improvement here — the Senators allowed three power play goals to the Bruins — games will keep slip, sliding 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 on 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 going to have any success, they must get back to the difficult areas around the crease.

5 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 including Chabot and Filip Chlapik. Chabot (see above) is getting a chance with star players.