The Ottawa Senators are hoping to take advantage of a long stretch of home games as they start a four-game homestand on Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Senators have a solid 5-2-1 record at home this season, though it’s been a month since they played back-to-back games in Ottawa. Over the past month, they’ve played eight of their last 12 games on the road, finishing with a 5-6-1 record during that stretch.
Ottawa coach Travis Green said, “The one-offs are part of the NHL, but it’ll be good to get home, get two feet on the ground. We’ve played some pretty good hockey in our building, and we’ve obviously got a big week against some good teams.”
Ottawa’s season has been inconsistent, with the team not having a winning or losing streak longer than two games. They are coming off a 4-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, and are looking to bounce back from a 0-1-1 record in their last two games.
The Oilers, on the other hand, were also shut out in their last game, losing 3-0 to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. Despite outshooting Montreal 30-25, the Oilers struggled to find the net, a problem that has become all too familiar for them this season.
Edmonton, which led the league in goals scored over the last four years with an average of 3.59 goals per game, is now averaging just 2.63 goals per game through 19 games this season, nearly a full goal less than their usual output.
Forward Derek Ryan said the Oilers need “to get a little more greasy” in their offensive play and “find some ways to get on the interior parts of the ice” to create more scoring opportunities. “Battles in front of the net, some (second- and third-chance shots), it’s where you score goals when you’re struggling to score.
We’re not going to score pretty goals all the time,” Ryan added. “We’ve got to kind of grind it out and get a greasy one every now and then.”
Tuesday’s game could feature a tactical battle in the neutral zone, as both teams are among the best in the league at both creating and limiting shots. The Oilers average 33.2 shots per game, while Ottawa averages 32.4. On defense, Edmonton allows just 25.3 shots per game, and Ottawa’s opponents average 26.8.
For the Oilers, Leon Draisaitl (13 goals, 11 assists) and captain Connor McDavid (seven goals, 14 assists) continue to lead the offense. Together, they have scored 20 of the team’s 50 goals this season.
Tim Stutzle leads the Senators with 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).
Ottawa is expected to start Linus Ullmark in goal. Ullmark has a 4-4-1 record with a 2.77 goals-against average in 10 games this season. Stuart Skinner will start for Edmonton in the second game of their back-to-back set. Skinner is 5-5-2 with a 3.28 GAA in 12 starts.
The Oilers have had a strong record against Ottawa recently, going 12-2-1 in their last 15 games against the Senators dating back to the 2020-21 season, so facing Ottawa could be just what Edmonton needs to get back on track.
