5 Things to Know: Sharks vs Senators
On the second to last game of their road trip, the San Jose Sharks are taking on William Eklund and the Ottawa Senators at 4 p.m. PT on Thursday, October 22 at Canadian Tire Centre.
Here are five things to know about the matchup:
- Ottawa Senators Outlook (7-3-0)
The Sens traded Brady Tkachuk to Florida in June, and later acquired William Eklund from San Jose, so this will be Team Teal's first game against Eklund's since then. Unfortunately, Eklund is on injured reserve as of October 15 as he had surgery to repair a torn ankle tendon, putting him out for 10-12 weeks.
"Things like this happen, you get frustrated for sure, but right now it's just about recovery," Eklund told the media ahead of today's game.
When playing at home, the Senators have a 4-1-0 record.
Ottawa will be coming off of a double-header, with last night's victory against the Florida Panthers a blowout score of 5-1. Ottawa's three stars last night were awarded to team point-leader Tim Stutzle (one goal and one assist), defenseman Jake Sanderson (two assists), and Dylan Cozens (one assist).
- San Jose Sharks Outlook (5-4-1)
Close games are becoming a norm for San Jose, with six of their first 10 games of the season being decided in overtime or a shootout. Alex Nedeljkovic made 31 saves on 34 shot attempts against Montreal, and Yaroslav Askarov is set to start between the pipes tonight. Through six games, Askarov is 2-4-0 with a 3.67 goals-against average and an .865 save percentage.
- Ottawa's Blue Line
Ottawa will be without their ice-time leader, defenseman Thomas Chabot, who is sidelined with an upper-body injury. Even with Chabot's absense, the Sens have two defensemen averaging over a period of ice time per game, making their top pairs some of the most heavily used. Since the Sharks aren't playing back-to-back, their forecheck will need to be on top of it when it comes to pressure and generating chances.
- Special Teams Gap
Team Teal's power play is at 24 percent, a decent amount ahead of Ottawa's 13 percent. Both teams' penalty killing is nearly even, with room to improve: Ottawa is at 79 percent compared to San Jose's 78 percent.
Macklin Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg have both been especially dangerous on the man-advantage, each scoring two power-play goals this season. The Sharks should try to avoid any opportunities for the Senators to get going.
- Key Changes and Players
Celebrini and Tim Stuzle both have 14 points entering tonight's matchup, with each being the goal-leader for their team. Sharks fans will hope that Celebrini's line can get on the scoresheet early to set the tone and keep pace in Ottawa.
Today, Ottawa's goaltender Linus Ullmark was placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. Samuel Ersson, whose numbers are shaky, will be taking on a bigger role in the game. Ersson's record is 0-2, with a .831 save percentage, and a 4.70 goals-against average, allowing 12 goals in four appearances to start the season. If Ersson struggles to find consistency, the Sharks can capitalize on Ottawa's goaltending.
