Battle of the blue-liners in the capital
Keep an eye on the blue-line when Ottawa and Carolina do battle tonight.
Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot, the team’s top player, put in 27:13 of ice time against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, finishing plus-2 with three shots on net.
Meanwhile, Hurricanes defenceman Dougie Hamilton is enjoying a breakthrough year with 17 points in 16 games. The 26-year-old’s success just shows that patience is a virtue with young players. Chabot versus Hamilton should make for compelling viewing. Here are five things to watch for when the Hurricanes (9-6-1) face the Senators (5-9-1) in Ottawa:
1. Pick up where you left off
The Sens gave up a late goal to the Kings on Thursday, but showed resilience by bouncing back to win 3-2 in overtime. Ottawa has competed hard under coach D.J. Smith.
2. Nilsson in net
It makes sense to go back to Anders Nilsson after he made 26 stops in the Senators’ overtime victory against the Kings. He’s won his last two starts.
3. Positive start to the series
This will be a rare two-game set against the Hurricanes that continues on Monday in Raleigh, N.C. The Senators are 1-5-0 against Carolina over the past two seasons.
4. Pageau needs to keep rolling
Jean-gabriel Pageau has embraced his role as a leader, scoring the overtime winner against the
Kings. He’s on a four-game point streak coming into this one.
5. Be strong on special teams
The Senators have had plenty of power play opportunities, but haven’t been able to cash in. Conversely, their penalty killing has been strong.