The Ottawa Senators kick off the final 20 games of their regular season on Monday night at Canadian Tire Centre, hosting the struggling Detroit Red Wings. Despite their recent five-game slump, the Wings remain within striking distance of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, sitting just three points behind the Senators.
On the other hand, Ottawa has gone 3-0-1 in their last four games, creating a modest cushion between themselves and the pack, including Detroit, the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and New York Islanders. Currently, the Rangers are the closest threat, trailing Ottawa by just one point, though the Senators hold two games in hand.
Monday night’s game (Prime 7:30 pm) will also mark the debut of winger Fabian Zetterlund, who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Zetterlund, who was unable to join the team in time for the previous game against the Rangers, will don the centurion crest for the first time tonight.
Head coach Travis Green has opted to place Zetterlund on the fourth line alongside Adam Gaudette and Matthew Highmore.
“I liked the way the rest of our lines looked the other night,” Green explained. “I thought we played a strong game defensively and offensively against the Rangers. It just made sense to put him there for tonight and get his feet wet a little bit.”
That’s an interesting contrast to Dylan Cozens’ debut. Cozens has fewer goals and points than Zetterlund, but there were no concerns about the dampness levels of Cozens’ feet on Saturday night when Green placed the former Sabre right onto the second line.
At Monday’s practice, Nick Jensen was once again absent, but he’s expected to play alongside Thomas Chabot. Travis Hamonic, who had to be assisted off the ice with an injury on Saturday, will pair with Tyler Kleven on the team’s 5-6 unit.
Linus Ullmark is set to start in goal for the Senators.
Senators Probable Lines (nhl.com)
Brady Tkachuk — Tim Stutzle — Claude Giroux
David Perron — Dylan Cozens — Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig — Shane Pinto — Michael Amadio
Matthew Highmore — Adam Gaudette — Fabian Zetterlund
Jake Sanderson — Artyom Zub
Thomas Chabot — Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven — Travis Hamonic
Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Nikolas Matinpalo
Injured: Nick Cousins (knee)
Red Wings Probable Lines (nhl.com)
Elmer Soderblom — Dylan Larkin — Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat — Marco…