Game Day Preview: Huge Rivalry Matchup Between Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens

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On today's show, it's rivalry night.

We've got a full preview ahead of tonight's clash between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal

Canadians.

We'll take a look at lineup notes, keys to victory, and the Eastern Conference playoff

picture.

This is Brad Goodschrock, and you're listening to the Lockdown Senators Podcast.

You're Lockdown Senators, your daily podcast on the Ottawa Senators, part of the Lockdown

Podcast Network, your team every day.

Welcome.

You are locked on to the Ottawa Senators.

I'm Ross Levitt and alongside Brandon Piller today is Wednesday, March 11th, and Pilsie.

Here I say, this is the biggest game of the season.

Yeah, it certainly is.

I mean, you're coming back from a Western road trip, you're coming home to play the Montreal

Canadians rivalry game, points on the line, no Jake Sanderson, you're at home.

We need a big one tonight.

Yeah.

And after Ottawa fans took over the building in Vancouver, you just hope that sense fans

can show up and show out tonight against Montreal.

The Senators, they're cruising right now.

They're feeling really good about their game.

Even without Sandy, they only allow 16 shots on goal, asterisk, Vancouver stinks.

We get it, but that's all you can do is play the teams in front of you.

And Ottawa took care of business out West with wins over Calgary, Seattle, and Vancouver,

of course, winning against Toronto on the way out West, Western Ontario.

And then you get to, probably not even Western Ontario, that's Southern Ontario.

You can drive 20 hours West from Toronto.

We're off the rails already.

We're off the rails already.

I was going to let you have it though.

I was going to let you know.

Although they consider Western University, why is it called Western University?

If it's so far from being Western Ontario, I mean, it's West of Toronto.

Shouldn't Western Ontario be in like Thunder Bay?

Thunder Bay?

Yeah.

Vanora.

You got a good point.

Thunder Bay should protest that.

All right.

But it's, it's an Eastern Ontario matchup against the Montreal Canadians, obviously, just

over the border into Quebec.

It's going to be fantastic.

These two teams have played three times this year.

Two of the three went to overtime shocker.

Those are the two games that have won Ottawa with a regulation win in early December.

These two teams, they're buzzing.

They both feel like they're a better team than what the standing show because both teams

have had bad, if not awful, goal tending for a majority of the season.

And that was on full display in the last meeting between these two games where Jake Sanderson

infamously said after the game, you need more than 13 saves to win a national hockey league

game.

16 seems like a good number.

That's how James Rimer got the shut out against Vancouver.

But tonight, it's going to be a battle of two teams that won it, right?

This is what it comes down to.

It's going to have, I would imagine a playoff feel to it tonight.

Yeah, definitely.

And speaking of goal tending, Ross, the Montreal Canadians have called up Jacob Fowler.

So who?

Jacob Fowler.

Who?

That's it wrong again.

No, you said it right both times.

I'm trying to be a smart ass and act like I don't know who this riff he is.

But he's always say Jack Fowler.

No, no, no.

No, it's Jacob Fowler, you're right.

I was just having a little fun with you.

We obviously were huge fans of his during the 2023 draft process.

And of course, as most of my favorites do, they end up being Montreal Canadians.

Now, he's played 10 games in the NHL this year.

He's got a 902 save percentage.

He's four, four and two record.

He's done really well at the American Hockey League level.

He's got a 916 save percentage in 27 games down there, only a 2.23 goals against average.

So it's going to be an interesting spot for him because this is a high leverage game.

If he is, ultimately, is it been confirmed that he's getting the start?

I know he got called up.

I know the Habs played last night.

It was doughbashing.

Frankly, they just don't really trust Sam Montego right now.

So I would probably lean that, yes, Jacob Fowler, why would you call him up if he's not

going to start this game?

Yeah, I got to assume it's going to be him here.

And we'll see how we'll see how that goes.

The Ottawa Senators things didn't work out for them when they had their young goalie.

And so let's hope it goes the same way against the Habs here.

Yeah, and it's going to be Lena Salmart confirmed in net for the Ottawa Senators after his last

performance was against the Seattle crack.

And of course, Rhymer playing the Vancouver game.

So he'll be rested.

He'll be ready to go.

It is a tight turnaround, though, coming back from the West Coast three time zones

and you're playing two days later.

But the Habs played last night and it was a physical affair against the Toronto Maple Leafs

as we kind of hoped, although it was the Habs being the aggressor in much of those situations.

If you think back to the first period, Brennan Gallagher threw a huge hit on 20-year-old

Easton Cowan.

There's kids watching, Gally.

Like the guy got rid of the puck five seconds earlier, but you look at it overall, like

these two teams, they obviously hate each other.

There's obviously a huge history between the two teams of, of having some shenanigans

within the game, but I think for Ottawa, it's about playing the same way.

Don't break this great structure that you've created with limiting shots, limiting

opportunities and finding ways to put yourselves into a chance to win every single night.

Yeah, especially up against this high offensive team, like the Canadians, when they get the

puck in the zone, they can cycle, they can work it, they can get the defenders moving.

And I think that's where Ottawa is going to really have to bear down.

Because I think they've done a really good job of playing well in the neutral zone, limiting

rush chances, but ironically Vancouver had a couple of rush chances.

Without Jake Sanderson, they're going to have to adjust on how they limit rush chances.

That's for sure.

He was a guy that would do that with ease, but it's that defending in their own zone

up against the team like this, that makes me nervous, especially when you get guys like

Lane Hudson, Demidov, like when they can skate and move the puck in the so crafty, you

got to make sure you don't get him to your own zone and get tired out there because that's

when they take advantage.

Well, especially late in the game, the Habs have to be one of the best third-party teams

in the national hockey league, the Cardiac Habs, where they're down, doesn't matter, just

like the Senns game, where they won in overtime, they erased a two-goal deficit like that at

the end of the game.

There can be no lapses in focus tonight.

You have to be playing a full 60 minutes against this team, try to jump out early, but even

if you do, the gas has to be pressed all the way down to that final buzzer.

It's an impressive thing that they've been able to do because if you look at it, there's

been games where they have no business winning.

I think back to the LA game the other day where they were getting outshod almost double

at one point.

It was not close, and then all of a sudden, Bingo Bingo, it's in the back of the net

twice in 30 seconds, and they win the game.

They've got finishers on this team.

They're one of the best shooting percentages in the national hockey league.

They are going to be a tough team, so both teams feel like they're in a spot right now

where they can win this game, and it's going to be fascinating to see how it all plays

outpills.

I'm really excited to see, yeah, the Habs have the best five-on-five shooting percentage

in the national hockey league this year, 11.4% is their shooting percentage, put that

in perspective.

It was at 10.3, and that's still good for ninth in the NHL.

They're a team where even though they're not going to get a lot of shots, they're going

to make the most of it.

Not to say that they're one of the lowest shooting teams in the league, but they make the most

of their opportunities.

If you're an auto woman, number one key to victory is you better be playing till that final

buzzer, and I almost want Travis Green to bring up the way that last game ended against

the Habs.

I want auto women to come in here, pissed off, and feeling like they owe themselves a better

performance and a better ending.

Yeah, definitely.

You talk about Montreal Canadians winning games they don't deserve to.

That was the prime example.

The SENS had them.

Had the two goal lead with what, five minutes left or something like that?

Like it was even less.

Yeah, and then you let it slip away and lose an overtime in a terrible fashion.

We're going to look back at the end of the year and those points when it's coming down

to it and you're trying to make the playoffs in the wild card race, those points are going

to be big.

Yeah, it was four and a half minutes left and then they scored a minute later to tie it

in that game.

With the goalie pulled for both of them, they're both six on five goals and then Kolkhoff

field and overtime finished that job.

That was a tough weekend for Ottawa where they lost both games in overtime.

But even though Ottawa did have a two goal lead in that game against Habs, Montreal also

had a two goal lead.

We're winning two nothing in that game and Ottawa came back and scored four or five, sorry,

of the next six goals that were scored.

So it really doesn't matter who scores first in this game.

Like it's two scores last.

It feels like it's going to win the game.

Yeah, this is going to be an NBA style game where play it up to the final couple five minutes

and then that, okay, now the game has started.

Now the game started, but Ottawa's got to start on time.

It has to be a 60 minute effort.

Those are my keys to victory 60 minute effort and don't let the emotions get the better

of you play physical play hard, but don't don't go running around.

You don't want to get into that like if it comes naturally, whatever, stand up for yourself.

Of course, and then these games are going to get heated, but I don't need Brady to show

he's a tough guy against Arbor Jacki when Jacki's on the ice, it's better for the Ottawa

senators.

So don't don't be his look.

Ottawa's most physical players are their best players.

And for the Habs, they're most physical players, whether it's Josh Anderson, you can maybe

still throw Brennan Gallagher in there because you had that big hip, but he's obviously

on the back night can see the clubhouse from his $6.5 million a year mansion, but you're

looking at that.

Those are the guys that are lower down in the Habs lineup that are looking to stir up trouble.

So I think you really have to kind of toe that line and I'm looking at Ridley Greg as

a guy for that tonight where if he's on the line, but not over it, I think it could really

benefit Ottawa, but if he gets running around a little bit and gets the focus away from

trying to score more goals than the opposition, I think Ottawa could find themselves in a bit

of trouble tonight.

Yeah, and I like how you said 60 minute effort Ross, not a 65 minute effort.

The way the Ottawa senators have been playing in overtime, three and eight record, especially

at home, one in eight if we take out Philadelphia.

Yeah.

So and at home, have they won any overtime games at home?

I know they've won shootout games at home, but no, they haven't.

Yeah, the Philly, one of the, no, both Philly ones were on the road and then win a peg, of

course.

So yeah, they're, they're over at home.

So we cannot let this game go to overtime.

And we talked about it and we'll get into it more when we look at the playoff picture,

but regulation wins might be a factor here.

And you just don't want to give the Habs any points, obviously.

No, you don't.

So let's preview the lineups and we'll get into some details on some certain players

on both sides.

Next, we'll wrap up the day show with the Eastern conference playoff picture that despite

looking bleak last night in the out of town scoreboard, there was one shining light that

saved the day.

We'll discuss it all on today's lockdown senators were your team every day.

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the abs well of the post cast for you right after the game dialed in for what should be

a fantastic night of hockey at the Canadian tire center.

Here's how we expect the Ottawa senators to line up for tonight's game note that it is

a Wednesday all national broadcast it will be a sports net broadcast tonight.

I'm not saying it's more reason to check out the live stream but I'm not saying it's

not either.

So tune in on you to hit that notification bell so you know when we go live Tim Stewart's

life starting at center between Drake Batherson and Clodgeroo the second line Dylan Cousins

with Brady Kachuck and Ridley Greg the checking line Pinto with cousins and a Maddo and the

fourth line is Lars Eller with Warren Fogel and Fabian Zetterland flanking him on the

wings on the back end Thomas Shabbat with Artem Zub Tyler Clevin with Jordan Spence and

Nicholas Matt and Palo will be with Nick Jensen Linas all mark starts in goal Pilsy who

is your locked on player to watch.

My locked on player to watch is going to be number 24 Dylan Cousins unfortunately in a

two-nothing win against Vancouver Conucks Dylan Cousins did not score that broke his

four game goal streak where he had five goals in four games and it's important Ross if

you're going to win this game up against the Habs you got to find ways to score goals

and I'm looking at Dylan Cousins to just walk into the offensive zone and a rip one clean

pass whoever is playing net for the Habs and look we already talked about it guys like

Ridley Greg let's see if they can get under the skin of these Habs players play that physical

game Brady Kitschuk you hope that he can be physical as well but do not discount the

physicality of Dylan Cousins either I believe he still leads the team in hits hit four hits

last game five hits one two and then six seven this guy is laying out the body so that

trio of Kitschuk Cousins Greg look for them to be physical but I feel like it goes out

of the radar how physical Dylan Cousins is and when those two guys are mucking enough

Brady and Ridley Greg got that puck to Dylan and let him do his thing and let's start a new

goal scoring streak tonight yeah that would be really cool I'm down for him to do that Dylan

Cousins by the way has four goals and seven points in his last nine games against the Montreal

Canadian six points in six games last year between his time in Buffalo and Ottawa so Dylan

Cousins a great call there still has five goals in his last five games but would be great

to see him light the lamp tonight I'm going to look to his left for my locked on player wouldn't

this be a nice night for Brady Kitschuk to physically and emotionally take over the game

Brady Kitschuk has been producing points he's on a point streak of his own overshadowed by

the 13 game heater that Tim Stutz lies on but Brady Kitschuk himself man that's seven

straight games with a point he's three goals four assists plus four he's doing it shooting

the puck to 26 shots on goal over that stretch he's won 22 of his last 33 face offs as

well over that seven game sample he's got 13 hits would like to see that be close to 20 by

the end of tonight I think Brady Kitschuk is going to show up and show up tonight so he'll

be my locked on player I think as he goes the team will go in this rivalry matchup but we'd

be remiss not to mention Tim Stutz and the current point streak that he's on right now it's

incredible to see just how much he takes over games with his speed and everything that

he brings nightly to the Ottawa Senators the streak right now is 13 if he gets one tonight

he will tie his longest career point streak which came after the buzzcut last year started

with the buzzcut and ended after we joined him with ours that would be tied for the third

longest point streak in Senators history only Danny Heatley twice has longer one 16 and

22 games the the fact that he at least 22 game point street came in his first 22 games with

the Ottawa Senators is truly remarkable but that's a story for another day Tim Stutz will

have a chance to extend his point streak to 14 games tonight here's what they're up against

for the Montreal Canadians their top line centered by captain Nick Suzuki and Cole Caulfield

and Uri Slavkovsky are on his wings Oliver Kaepernin anchoring the second line with Alex

Newhook and Ivan Demadov the third line is Jake Evans with Zachary Bulldoch and Kirby Doc

and the fourth line the senior citizens line Philip Denow with Josh Anderson and Brandon Gallagher

on the back end Kaden Gouli with Lane Hudson Mike Matheson with Noah Dobson

Arbor Jacki with Alexander Carrier and in goal we're expecting Jacob Fowler in net who are

you looking out for for the Habs I will be nervously looking out for number 48 Lane Hudson I mean

look is this guy a better defenseman than Jake Sanderson no but is he a dangerous player out there

absolutely like you look the way he's able to stack up points 65 points in 63 games that would

be second on the Ottawa Senators and points only Tim Stutz has more points than Lane Hudson 11

goals 54 assists he's a plus 28 only two of those 11 goals on the power play so he's getting

it done five on five and he gets it done against the Ottawa Senators two unfortunately nine points

in seven career games against the SENS and right now he's playing very well and he's been a big

reason why the Montreal Canadians have been able to be consistent in finding ways to win and in his last

last or a last my page here in his last four games he's on a point streak and he's got five

points in his last four games and he plays big minutes like 21 21 25 25 24 like he's out there

a lot of the time on that top pair so I'm going to be looking out for Lane Hudson especially

when he gets that puck start cycling in the Ozone you just never know what he's going to do he's

so unpredictable he's able to create space and and get guys open for opportunities so

look out for him yeah you have to he's got 116 career assists which is the most assists by a

defenseman in their first 150 games in NHL history and he still has a few games to go three to get

to 150 career NHL games including tonight my my way of look he's an elite player there's no doubt

about that but when he has the puck in the offensive zone auto watch has to maintain their

structure because more likely than not he's going to use the momentum and the moves to find

an open guy he's the king of the primary assists in that regard so don't chase him don't double

team him because that's playing into his hand he wants you to be mesmerized by a stick handling

to the point where you lose your coverage on another guy and those are the dangerous guys on the

ice so if he wants to dance and do all his his magical tricks out there as long as it doesn't

result to a tap in back door I think Ottawa can allow him to do whatever he wants on the perimeter

of the ice and Ottawa will have last change in this game huge opportunity for Shane Pinto's line

and most notably if you look at I know Hudson's playing the right side as a left shot defenseman

I always find that interesting to see so what you're going to try to do on that is hard rims to his

side of the ice on the clear like make him take it on his back hand off the blue line and try to

get out there we know how aggressive Ottawa could be and I know that he's playing the other side

but I would love to see Michael Amadio out there as much as you can about him Michael Amadio is one of

the best defensive sticks in the national hockey league and he can keep up as well I know Hudson's

one of the fastest guys in the league nobody's going to beat him in a straight line other than maybe

Ridley Greg who won the fastest skater at the sense skills competition and Nick Cousins was actually

second so really going to be a lot of pressure on Nick Cousins and Michael Amadio assuming they get

that matchup for most of the night against Lane Hudson to try to make sure that he's contained

as best as possible my look out player another water bug cold coffee on 37 tux on the year he's tied

his career high from last season now he did leave the game last night against the Montreal Canadians

head coach Marta Saint Louis saying that he's under the weather so he is traveling to Ottawa will he

play I would assume so but how effective will he be will he still have that same jump that he

makes himself so unique with with the the combination as an undersized guy I'm not a not only being

extremely shifty and fast but has an elite shot on top of that so cold coffee is going to be my

look out player and maybe we're juicing him maybe he doesn't play tonight but for Ottawa if he is in

the lineup that top line I'd assume they're going to be out there a lot with Lane Hudson and I'd

assume we're going to see Shane Pinto against Suzuki all night long and I think that could free up

because if you look at look them it up going to be a great player no doubt captain he's got some

finishing ability and new hooks scored the overtime one of the first time these two teams met

with a nice primary assist from Drake Bathers in the red line all that to say you're putting

captain's line out or Evans line out with Bulldook and Dak against cousins Brady and Ridley Greg

or Timmy's line Ottawa is going to be able to win these secondary matchups if Pinto's line can

do their job against Suzuki I'm not going so far like Montreal isn't like Winnipeg in the sense

they're a one line team but they're not they don't have the depth I don't think as as Ottawa does

up front so I think that's another key for Ottawa is how can you play in the minutes that the

Suzuki line is off the ice because I think Ottawa should have the ice tilted in their favor for

a majority of those matchups. Yeah and another storyline to watch here is going to be the play of

Thomas Shabbat because normally it'd be easy for us to say Sanderson and Zub are going to be the

guys going up against those top offensive guys for the Montreal Canes but Shabbat and Zub that's not

doesn't have the same shut down ability that Sanderson Zub have so Shabbat's going to have to

really do a better job of timing his pinches when he joins the rush staying back not giving Pucks

away in their own zone so this is going to be a big test for Thomas Shabbat certainly a elevated

test then that he had up against the Vancouver Canucks. Bonus locked on player Thomas Shabbat

very well said he was a bit of good bit of bad against Vancouver didn't love the two penalties

for him but I mean he still finishes the night plus two with an assist I still thought that he

was perfectly fine in that game. Thomas Shabbat and his career against the Montreal Canadiens his

home province team he's sitting at 13 points in 32 games and a minus 13 rating so a lot different

than Jake Sanderson's career numbers against the Habs but this is the the group that they got tonight

and I think Artem Zub stepped up big time in the game against Vancouver I thought he was a

mammoth warrior presence on the back end so can he do it again? We'll find out and this game has

huge playoff implications on the other side we'll discuss that and how the out of town scoreboard

has been shaping up recently you're listening to locked on senators your team every day.

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all right pilsie so a big one tonight for the Ottawa Senators hosting the Montreal Canadians

note the start time as well it is a 7 30 eastern start with the national broadcast on sports net

and of course jacks got the alternate live stream broadcast available for you here wherever

he'll be going through the highs and lows of each play as it develops the watching the viewership

i should say for that has been awesome so let's keep that up it's been great to see and of course

jack marsh and the whole gang will be there this weekend for both the games where we're just too

excited i know we talked about it nonstop but i'm nonstop excited just thinking about it all the time

pilsie i've been thinking about the other town scoreboard all the time recently why does it piss me off

every single night a because western teams are a disappointment we're not mad at the western

teams Ross were disappointed no i'm mad but we can't say it too loudly because we got two western

teams coming in next weekend yeah that's true um the LA Kings lose it in overtime to the Boston

Bruins uh Ross i don't know if you caught that game winning goal i did not have mark castelick

setting up the game winning goal in overtime on my bingo card like the fact that he was out there

for three on three overtime was very surprising sets up uh pasta who then sets up mac avoid for the

game winner um the may beliefs obviously waste of time they can't get anything done up against

muncher all last night do we what do we want to get to the positive before uh going into more

negatives or do we save the positive for the end i thought pilsie positive sandwich would be a

efficient way to do this you can't make a sandwich with one slice of bread Ross no the positives in

the middle okay so okay yeah all right so then let's do that uh the Florida Panthers yeah

droid red wings four three in regulation that was a big one keeping your team down Ross that's

the team that Ross has in his sights in his scope in his i was gonna say rear view mirror i'll say

in his windshield view that he's pulling up the beside on the highway we're all with them we

want to try they're driving erratically they're driving ridiculously on the highway they should

really get pulled over and have a conversation yeah yeah let's let's get them pulled over uh the

attempt by lightning this team does not look the same since the Olympic break they got absolutely

manhandled by the blue jackets i watched a bunch that game the blue jackets beat them five two and

outshot them thirty one to eighteen a Columbus team uh is gonna be scary there and then i guess

kind of a positive the Carolina Hurricanes beat the penguins but it took them a shoot out to do it

so the penguins did get one point and again western teams disappointing the St. Louis Blues

cannot beat off the New York Islanders in overtime but no one can the New York Islanders are eleven

and oh no ten and oh i believe in over times and this is something we were tracking last year

Ross remember at maybe even a couple years the New York Islanders are overtime slash shootout

merchants like they just find ways to get those games past regulation and get points whether

it's losing or in this year's case winning all of them um so there are a team that gets that done

the Montreal Canadians are taking a page out of their book yeah they are but tonight is just

pretty much Ottawa right it's Washington and Philadelphia is the only other game on the NHL

schedule so Ottawa right now is two games in hand on Detroit and a game in hand on pretty much

everybody else in the race so you're looking at tonight being a huge opportunity for the senators

to climb back to within three points of a playoff spot and and really set their sights on Detroit

because they're six points back at a trite Ottawa's got two games in hand and the sends play the

wings in two weeks like and the wings are the only team currently in a playoff position in the

east with a negative goal differential so there those wings are they're not flying they're not

soaring they're falling right and you know who the next two games are against I know one is Tampa

and Dallas well let's let's hope Tampa can figure it out for that game because the way I watched

the playoff against Blue Jackets was it was not going to get it done yeah no it really was was

pretty pathetic to see and that's such a talented team Kutrov still getting his cookies but nobody

is coming to play and we're seeing that with the results for the lightning Columbus is a wild story

right now a with Rick bonus at the helm like Rick bonus since taking over that team they've got like

an absolutely outrageous record like it's out I can't even put into words what they've been able

to do and I know Ottawa was lucky enough to get one of those regulation wins over the Blue Jackets

but that's only one of two regulation losses that they've suffered in their last 20 games

since Rick bonus took over yeah it's crazy Ross because I'm looking at this roster and

like look at me wrong this is a good team but for them to be playing this good is very impressive

and they needed that Connor Garland pickup like that is a very good pickup for them he scored in that

game had a really nice goal and so he's going to be a big part of that team for a long time now

how about their first pickup Mason Marchman has 11 goals and 19 points in 22 games and that

coincides almost perfectly with Rick bonus coming in so Columbus is playing some great hockey but

I'm almost looking right now at the New York Islanders I know they've won a couple games in a row

there at 79 points but if if they keep if Columbus keeps pressing like they're only three points back

of both Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders and we're talking about how Pittsburgh's got one of

the toughest schedules Evgeny Mullick and I think still as a gamer two left to serve on its five

games suspension Sydney Crosby still out of the lineup and their team that came back from down

a big last night and earned a loser point thank goodness it went to a shootout and they weren't

able to get it done there I was watching the overtime and shoot out in that one but like the fact is

Ottawa has to be a top five team in the Atlantic division there's there's no way around that to

not make a push for a final playoff spot so that's why Columbus is a little bit less on my radar

and I'm kind of enjoying them as a really good story in the national hockey league because I think

that their likelihood of getting into a top three metro spot is just as high as being a wild card

team at the end of the day and it's really Detroit Boston and maybe Montreal that you're looking at

right now and that's why this game is so important because Montreal is one of the teams you don't have

games in hand on but what you do have with Montreal and Ottawa tonight is two teams that each have

one regulation loss in their last ten games like that to me is it's an incredible feat and I think

that we need to be really dialing into what should be one of the best hockey games that we've seen

all season tonight and important to note Ross we were talking about regulation wins the Ottawa

Center's have two more regulation wins than the Montreal Canadiens so let's keep let's keep

there's seven points back yeah it's crazy and it's worth noting too there have been a better

on the road than at home especially just like getting points they had they do have eight loser points

on the road but they are also only have seven regulation losses there's 17 seven and eight on the

road meanwhile Ottawa is 14 10 and five at home that's that's below real 500 that means fans are

leaving the ring losers rather than winners one more time than not so tonight you can bring that

back to 500 and we know the abs fans they come to they come to town yes a lot of them are in town

they're fans of hockey before Ottawa to team and they stuck with their teeth hard to fault them on that

but it's so much more fun and we've been lucky enough to be there for a few of them at the CTC

when you're leaving that rank after a win it's a special feeling against the Habs the Leafs

so let's do it tonight get the good people of Ottawa we're going to go through what might be a

bit of a rainstorm or a freezing rainstorm today to make sure they go home feeling real good about

themselves and I mean not to get selfish again but you win this game you're feeling very good going

into our boots on the ground week yeah this would be and then not only that Ross but you extend

the win streak then you're on a four game win streak going into a back-to-back on the weekend where

the Ottawa centers have been fairly successful weekend warriors exactly so I'm nervous Ross

but as the old saying goes pressure is a privilege there's a lot of pressure on this game but it's

because it matters and it's because there's big points in the line it's our number one rival I

think that's easy to say now that the Toronto Maple Leafs are tanking this is big I'm excited you

get up for games like these I love the 730 start that extra half an hour to get ready but doesn't

push it too late into night after we've been staying up late at night for these western games so

it's the biggest game tonight by far nobody cares about Washington Philly right now

it's the national broadcast like these are this is what you live for if you're a hockey fan so

let's have some fun tonight and I mean there would be some poetry at the very least symmetry

if Ottawa lights up a young rookie goalie based on what happened in January yeah I know

Fowler's good Fowler's good but we thought levy was good too and didn't necessarily work out

that way enjoy the game tonight we will see you in the live watch party and in the postcast

afterwards we'll break it all down tomorrow and get set for a huge weekend against Anaheim and

San Jose but the boys can't be looking at far ahead huge huge huge biggest game that I would

almost say it's the biggest game of the Travis green era tonight without having Jake Sanderson

available to you I mean regular season yes of course okay playoffs is a whole different world

but tonight it is right up there like it's right up there it's right up there so we'll see how the

senators can come out to play on home ice their first home game since the first game after the

Olympics where they lost in overtime to Detroit Red Wings and that's the that's the the taste that's

been left in your mouth that the CTC so the boys they got back good skate today and we'll see how they

play tonight for Brandon pillar I'm Ross Levittan thank you so much for liking watching listening

and engaging with the show this has been another edition of the Locked On Senators podcast your team

every day