Silencing Senators' sleek young trio a definite must

Ottawa Senators

28-41-7, 7th in Atlantic Division at Vancouver Canucks

(before Monday's game vs. Dallas) 37-28-10, 5th in Pacific Division 7:30 p.m., Rogers Arena

TV: Sportsnet. Radio: Sportsnet 650

WHY WATCH Can Hughes gain the upper hand on best buddy Norris?

They're friends and foes. Quinn Hughes is chasing two long-standing Canucks records for assists and points in a season by a defenceman while centre Josh Norris had 33 goals through 59 games for the Senators as a superlative sophomore. The 22-year-old stars were teammates with the U.S. National Development Team Program and at the University of Michigan. Hughes was three points shy Monday of eclipsing the assist mark of 55, set by Dennis Kearns in the 1976-77 season, and needed six points to surpass the 63 points set by Doug Lidster in the 1986-87 season.

THREE THINGS ABOUT THE SENATORS

Tkachuk measuring up: Wait until you get a load of this guy. That's what Matthew Tkachuk said before younger and bigger brother Brady became an immovable and productive force in front of the net. The Senators' captain is 22, draws the tough matchups and his play without the puck has improved as much as his ability to get under the opposition's skin. Trigger-happy Norris: Josh Norris is piling up the points because he not only has a success rate of 50.9 per cent in faceoffs, his ability to convert those possessions into power play goals with 16 through 59 games, which ranked third overall, is impressive.

Stutzle hitting stride: The rite of passage for a 20-year-old player is usually a rocky road to consistency. Tim Stutzle didn't get the memo. He's already a constant threat to do damage on any shift and consecutive three-point outings last week were the measure of that.