[SBN Senators blog - Silver Seven]
I guess Pascal Leclaire picked a good night to come back from injury. Since that fateful day in late November when a stray puck met and broke the jaw of an unsuspecting Leclaire minding his own business on the Ottawa bench, the Senators have gone 6-8-1. Whether he'll get the official nod is still up in the air, but all signs point to yes on the Sens' page. Back-up netminder Brian Elliot has done his part to keep the Sens in it, but with injuries plaguing Chris Neil (also expected back tonight) and Jason Spezza (torn MCL), the going has been tough for Ottawa. Although, much to his credit, he did shutout the Sabres and Flyers in December (thanks).
If there's one thing the Sens and Pens have in common heading into tonight's game, it's that they are both coming off the wrong end of shutouts. While the Pens were trying to crack the egg on Mellon ice Monday night, up in Ottawa the Bruins were sealing a 2-0 shutout for Tim Thomas.
Sof ar this season the series between Ottawa and Pittsburgh is tied at one a piece. The Pens picked up a 4-1 win on the road earlier in the season on October 12, but a little over a month later fell 6-2 on Ottawa ice. So far this season the Pens are 12-6-1 on home ice (although for some reason I thought it was worse), whereas the Sens are 5-9-1 on the road.
Names you want to keep an eye on: Daniel Alfredsson (9g, 22a), Mike Fisher (15g, 14a), Milan Michalek (16g, 6a) and our old friend Alex Kovalev (7g, 13a).
Oh, and how could I forget? Carrie Underwood and Fisher are tying the knot. How lovely. As Greg from PuckDaddy suggests, the new Carrie Fisher is just mere months away. Star Wars nerds unite!
Puck and thread drop at 7:05. Come on by.