Ottawa Senators Begin Season Long Road Trip With Tough Matchup vs Anaheim Ducks | NHL Game Preview

Ottawa Senators Begin Season Long Road Trip With Tough Matchup vs Anaheim Ducks | NHL Game Preview

On today’s show, it’s finally an Ottawa Senators game day. Tonight, they’re taking on the Ducks in Anaheim. We’ve got a full game day preview, lineups, locked on lookout players, and keys to victory. This is Brad Kachchuck, and you’re listening to the Locked On Senators podcast. You’re Locked On Senators, your daily podcast on the Ottawa Senators, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Welcome. You are locked on to the Ottawa Senators. I’m Ross Levitan alongside Brandon Pillar. And today is Thursday, November 20th. Pillsey, I’ve been looking forward to this game all season. The Ducks, a young upand cominging team and the Ottawa Senators beginning their longest road trip of the season. I feel like I’ve been looking forward to this game for the last couple years, Ross. says, “The Ottawa Senators haven’t played in what seems like forever. Saturday night feels like an eternity ago, especially I don’t know if you’ve been doing this, Ross. I know it’s early in the season to be standings watching, but watching day by day Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division teams play and have the opportunity to accumulate points in this tight race has been stressing me out. So, it’s nice that at least the Ottawa Centers get back in action tonight and are able to have a chance at getting points or the way this season’s been going, point uh at least some sort of movement. Can you put your hand out for a second? I see some games in hand for the Ottawa Senators now, including over the Boston Bruins. Three to be exact. And the Bruins just fell in regulation last night against the Ducks. So, Ottawa’s taking on a team second half of backto back. They did get quite the confidence boost with a late goal against Corposalo that gave the Ducks a regulation victory. So, we appreciate that Ducks. But tonight, it’s duck hunting season officially open. And the Senators, they’ve got the hose tied tight. Just waiting for that explosion. You let go and hopefully that means the power play will be a contributing factor for tonight’s game. Ottawa draws so many penalties throughout the course of games and it’s actually been a little bit less of late. Just two power plays in each of the last four games. Can even go six straight games where they’ve only had two power plays in each of those. So to me that’s going to be a key tonight is play with speed, play fast, play downhill and try to get the Ducks to to catch up and hold on to you and maybe get a couple early power plays. It didn’t work against the LA Kings. They go 0 for two both in the first period. But to me, that’s a recipe tonight is that you have to play with a ton of speed. Later in the road trip, I’ll maybe allow the oh man, you got plain legs. You’ve been playing every other night. There’s no seven game trip being played tonight. It’s one game. You’ve had four days off before. There’s no excuses why Ottawa shouldn’t have a dominant first period against a team where their equipment’s still wet when they’re putting it on tonight after yesterday. Yeah. And yesterday was a tough game for the Ducks up against the Bruins. Came right down to the last couple minutes. And yeah, you talk about having to play with speed. This is a young, fast team that also has a mix of vets in here as well. But I don’t know how deep you want to go into keys to victory, Ross, because I have a deeper digging at the key to victory you just mentioned. Well, let’s hold that for later on in the show. We’ll also get to the lineups for both teams. The Ducks not skating today, so we’re going based on their lineup from last night. We do know they are starting former Ottawa 67 Peter Morazz in goal. So that’s a backup game for Ottawa um after Doal had a fantastic performance last night in the win. He’s an unbelievable upand cominging goalie in the league. So with the Ducks, we’ll get to their lines later. And with the Senators, something we spoke about yesterday briefly, but Travis Green made it all but official right after we recorded. Stephen Halliday, friend of the show, will be making his NHL debut tonight. I’m so fired up for Halie. He’s such a great guy. He gives us the time a day, which we appreciate. He’s actually seventh all time in guest appearances on LOSB. And we’ve just watched him take stride after stride after stride. And no pun intended there, but it’s his skating that’s improved to the level where the team feels comfortable to call him up because this is a guy with elite hockey IQ, amazing dishing ability. And he also got an underrated shot. He doesn’t use it a whole lot. I don’t think if he’s playing 10 or less minutes, we’re going to get to see it. But if he’s confident, he’s willing to rip the puck, he does have just a offensive package that you can see as an NHL player. Yeah. And Travis Green mentioned uh Holidayiday’s improvement on the defensive side of his game has been another reason why he was called up. And Ross, I don’t uh I know you hate the shootouts and especially 10 p.m. start going to shootout. It’s not ideal. But if it goes to shootout, I wouldn’t want to see Holiday as one of the top three, but if it goes beyond three, get him in there. He’s one for one with the Belleville Centers this year, and he is nasty when it comes to just mono cuz he’s got so many tricks up his sleeve. and you can’t dish on a breakaway, so that takes that opportunity away. So, he has to come up with a move and score. Uh, so I wouldn’t mind seeing Holiday as a possible shootout uh player for the Sense. You’re selling him short. He’s two for two this season with the Belleville Saints. Oh, I must have missed one. Oh, you know what it was? I saw he was 100% and he was one for one. So, yeah, two two for two. Those are good numbers. Last year he was two for six. So, he’s 50% in his AHL career in the shootout. And last season when Ottawa went 1-1 and one on the California trip, the shootout loss was in Anaheim. Ottawa tied it in the third period. Nick Cousins from Michael Amadio and let me just wipe a tear away. Brady Kachchuck had the two other goals for the Ottawa Senators in that game, including a first period power play goal. Um, but this is a new team, new opportunity. That was just a three-game trip. Go to California, come back. This is dig your heels in and get some points. I know it’s going to be tough and Ottawa I think is looking at 500 would be success. What would you consider a successful road trip out of the seven games? Well, let’s go through a game game by game. Uh the Ducks I expect to at least get a point tonight because you’ve had so many days off. It’s a team coming second half of backtoback playing their backup. So I I think you should at least get a point there. They should be able to beat the Sharks. Hockey night in Canada. You got to find a way to win there. The Kings have their number. So, I guess we’ll we’ll call that a L. So, one one and one so far. Vegas in Vegas. We’re going to uh say that’s that’s a tough matchup for the Sens. How about I put it that way instead of wording it a different way? Put it. Yeah, we’ll we’ll we’ll take uh one in the second category of the numbers there. One, two, and one. Got to beat the Blues. Brady Kachchuck aiming to go back return that night. And you heard it. He is so fired up to get back. I’m going to If FanDuel has an opportunity to bet on hits, I’ll be hammering that cuz Brady said he wants to come out flying. So what are we at then? 32 and one. Yep. And with two games left at Dallas on the 30th and then at Montreal on December 2nd. So I’ll say Dallas is a tough one too. So 33 and one and then Montreal, let’s get the dub there. So 43 and one is my projected um standings in this road trip. Wait, no, that’s eight games. Well, yeah. Where’d you screw up that one? That’s a good Just take a loss off. Yeah. Yeah. 42 in one. How about that? Smart. Four two in one. That’s perfect. And you’re calling the losses back to back in LA and and Vegas. Yeah. Okay. That’s I think that’s a bit confident based on how the Ottawa Senators have played out west over the last number of years, but again, those are years past. This is a great opportunity if you can somehow get five, six, no, I’m getting ahead of myself. Get five wins and it is a slam dunk. Bring it home and let’s take it on to December. Especially, I mean, hopefully this is the last time we’re saying it, but November has been a lot better. So, let’s just keep getting those points, maybe a couple more wins just so that the old school guys don’t say, “Yeah, well, you’re NHL 500, but you’re actually losing more than you’re winning.” So, I’d like to see, and also, you want to start a road trip on the right note because the guys are together for 14 straight days. So, you want to be able to have the mood, the environment around the team. Let’s get these vibes cooking. And I want to say Ross, the reason why I’ve got more wins uh at the end of the road trip, you’re going to get Brady Kachchuck back and possibly probably Thomas Shabbat back as well. So getting Brady, your captain back is such a just moral boost, let alone a boost on the ice. And then getting Shabbat back in the lineup, too, I think will really be a boost there. I think like having these guys on the road trip, getting better, being there for the vibes, and then being inserted in the back half of it, I think is going to be a major morale booster. It’s something that we say in backtoback situations where it’s like, why not use your extras and get a little bit of fresh legs, while the freshest legs are guys that haven’t been playing in a while, and especially for Brady with the thumb injury, he’s upper upper body skating. Yeah. So, these guys should be able to hit the ground running. Neither will be in the lineup tonight, but we’ve got Senators and Ducks lineup notes, key players to watch, and we’ll wrap up the show with some keys to victory, not only for tonight, but I got one for the entire road trip to make it a success. Those conversations are next. You’re listening to Locked On Senators, your team every day. Today’s episode is brought to you by our friends over at Rouette. Let’s be real, making excuses, that’s not going to solve anything. We’ve all heard them before. It’s just stress. I’m just tired. Or it happens to everyone sometimes. But when it comes to performance, sometimes your body needs just a little extra support. That’s where Rouette comes in. Rouette.com offers fast acting, doctor prescribed treatments for ED. Designed to help you stop making excuses and start making moves. Rouette makes it easy to get started. You just connect with a boardcertified doctor, 100% online. No awkward waiting rooms, no in-person appointments. 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The ribe eyes, I always make sure to have some in the freezer because you can just pull it out and boom, you’ve got an elite dinner waiting for you. Their chicken is air chilled, so it’s fresher and more flavorful than what you’d get in the store. The Wildcaugh Seafood, game changer. A lot of the Sen boys are getting in on Farm to Fork. Why wouldn’t you as well? They’re delivering all across Ontario and Western Quebec. The best part, delivery is free with a minimum order of $199. You don’t even have to leave the house to get this quality. And we’ve got a special code just for you. It’s locked on 40 to get $40 off your first order at farmtofork. Derek locala Ottawa guy knows you’re going to love it. So visit farm2forkdely.ca that’s the number two to start stocking up on the best meats around. They also have a storefront if you are in Ottawa. You can head over to Carling Avenue. The direct address is 1570 Carling Avenue and go check out their store and say what up to Derek. It’s great food. Awesome. Awesome quality and you get $40 off your first order with Locked on 40 farm to fork delicious locally farm meats delivered straight to your door. All right, PZY, it’s game day for the Ottawa Senators in Anaheim taking on the Ducks. Before we get to Anaheim’s information on tonight’s game, we got to let you know it is a 10:00 start and it’s available on RDS and TSN 5. The postcast available right after the final horn if you’re not staying up too late tonight. Don’t worry, it’ll be in your favorite podcast platform and on YouTube right for you in the morning when you get up. Billsy, let’s start with the Ottawa Senators and we’re going off of practice lines yesterday, so this is subject to change. The Senators, we’re not sure if they’re skating yet today. It’s a little tougher to get the schedule when we’re on the road. We are at the mercy of Mr. Jackson Star, the team reporter. Tim Stutza centering David Pon and Drake Bath, Dylan Cousins between Ridley Greg and Fabian Zetterland, Shane Pinto with Michael Amadio and Klo Jeru on his wings. and Steven Halliday dishing it out on the fourth line between Nick Cousins and Hayden Hodgson. On the back end, Jake Sanderson with Ardam Zub, Tyler Cleven with Jordan Spence, Nicholas Matten Paulo with Nick Jensen. And we would expect Lenus Almark to start in goal, right, Bills? Yeah, I’d like Lenus Almark to start in goal tonight. I think uh you don’t want to give him too much time off in between games. I think that Lenus Almark is coming off two of his best performances of the season. I know he wasn’t super busy against LA, but he made some big saves to keep that one- nothing throughout the game. 944 save percentage in there. He’s got three straight games with an over 900 save percentage, which he had not done yet this season. Twice he had done it in back-toback starts, but not in three in a row. So to me, I know he’s played a lot, but this is an opportunity to have him continue to gain confidence, feel good about himself. And we should also note that Billsy in his career against the Anaheim Ducks, very good. He’s 42 and two with a 220 goals against average and a 930 save percentage. He was in goal for that matchup head-to-head last year in Anaheim. Yep, that’s good to see. So, uh, I want Leas Almark to keep things going here and start the road trip off with a nice start. Who is your locked on player for the Ottawa Senators tonight? My locked on player is going to be Ridley Greg. In 19 games, two goals, six assists, eight points. And I know Ross, you’ve been wanting to see more from Ridley Greg, but in the last five games, he actually has four points. So, he’s been able to quietly put uh together some points here. So four of his eight points have come in the last five games. And the reason I’m going to be locked on to Ridley Greg and minorly locked on to David Praw, Brady Kachchuck watches back on. Those two spots in the top six at left wing are not just there for those guys. Once Brady Kachchuck comes back, one of them is getting bumped out of there. Now, is it going to be David Braun, the vet, or is it going to be Ridley Greg, a guy that hasn’t really cemented himself here? But one thing is for sure, um, Travis Green will not be changing the Michael Amio, Shane Pinto, Clojaroo line. He just won’t. There’s no way anyone is bumping Amadio off that spot. So, either you get to stay in the top six or you’re probably finding yourself on the fourth line if you’re Greg or Prom once Brady Chuck comes back. So, you got about three, four games left here to show Travis Green that, hey, I’m the guy you got to keep in the top six. And really, Greg has been decent lately. So, I’m going to see uh if he’s able to keep that up cuz Ross, you had a stat about Amario Pinto Giru, how effective that line is. Yeah, I do. And I also want to say my locked on players David Promp because Brady Kachchuck’s coming back and you know they only have so much more opportunity. I’m just kidding. But that is a that would not surprise me, Ross, for you to go at the exact same point right after I just finished. Man, I just wanted to get a laugh out of you for that one because you leaded me perfect into my locked on player. It’s a guy photo. If you’re watching on YouTube, it’s Michael Amadio. It took a team shut out to end his point streak. Yeah. But he’s still playing such good hockey like in the last 11 games where, by the way, Ottawa’s got one regulation loss in the last 12 games now. So, we’ve been talking a lot about 31 and three in November, but you can rewind the clock there to the middle of October, and it’s been really, really good basically since the Islanders lost in the last minute, which they probably should have gotten a point in as well. But Michael Amattio’s got six goals and nine points in his last 11 games. And that line with Shane Pinto and Klo Jaru among lines that have played at least a hundred minutes together. So, I don’t feel like I’m taking away that much. That’s pretty reasonable amount of time. I know some people will say, “Hey, you guys, you mess with the numbers.” One, I’m not smart enough to do that. And two, with a 100 minutes played, the line of Jeru Pinto and Amadio has the highest expected goals percentage in the National Hockey League. The line right behind them is Barrett Hatton with Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller. Then you’ve got a line actually shockingly from the Nashville Predators, O’Reilly, Forsber, and Evangelista. And then number four is Hurdle, Drov, and MNER from Vegas. And then Strobo Bollier and Ovuchetkin from the Washington Capital. So you’re up against some real good lines in the National Hockey League. And they’ve been fantastic together. I’m excited to see what they’re going to do to change the the let’s say matchups in this game because Ottawa’s not going to have last change. They’re coming off a four- game home stand. I’m curious. And we know that teams have so much video, so much information. The Ducks know that stat that I just said, but I’m curious if there’s going to be a time on this road trip where the matchup that the opposition thinks they want to get against that line bites them in the ass. So, I’m I’m excited to see that tonight. Ottawa would love to see Pinto go headtohead against Leo Carlson tonight, who is an absolute star in this league at just 21 years old. But if you can get him up against a Ryan Stro line, for example, tonight and they think that they’ve got you beat or McTavish’s line, I love the the third and we almost should change that to second line. I mean, they’re they’re so talented on both sides of the puck. And we also have to give some stick taps to Klo Giru tonight who will be making a quarter million dollars for playing in tonight’s game. It’s his 20th game of the season. Giru also has performance bonuses of a quarter million when he reaches 30 games and 60 games. The rest are all playoffladen bonuses, but quarter mill for Klo Jaru tonight. G money putting it into he’s got to be buying dinner tonight, right? I mean, kind of have to or at least some money on the board, right? Yeah. Yeah. That’s a nice payday. Uh, I’m also going to be curious to see if McDermad gets into the lineup because the Anaheim Ducks, who we’ll talk about more in just a minute, they’ve got a mutant on their fourth line. Ross, great name. Johnston is uh is one of those pugilists in the league, but maybe Ottawa’s going to go pugilists. Yeah, word of the day. We got a word of the day on that one. I’ve never heard that before. Pugilist. A boxer, especially a professional one. There we go. Oh, I like it. Nice word of the day, Ross. Wadouch fugalist. But they’ve also got Hayden Hodgson up and that could be a more practical player because Hodgson brings an element of speed that they’re not going to get with McDermad. And Holiday, we talked about maybe not the fastest guy. That’s the one weakness in his game. You might want to get a solid F1 on that line because Hodgson is going to be the F1 every for check. Yeah. Yeah. I I think you let McDermad sit this one out. Uh I think you stick with Cousins Holiday Hodge. All right, the extras then. Mcdermad and Lassie Thompson still injured. Brady Kachchuck and Thomas Shabbat plus Lars Eller. The reason why Holiday will likely get his first National Hockey League game. Big road trip as well for Tyler Cleven, especially until Thomas Shabbat comes back. He scored a beauty in San Jose last year. Was that his first NHL goal? that bomb from the point. I think it was. It might have been. Y I think it was. So, he’s got good memories from last year’s California trip. Psey, the Anaheim Ducks are a very fun team to watch. We’ll preview what the other side is coming to tonight’s game with and some keys to victory next. You’re listening to Locked On Senators, your team every day. Today’s episode is brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel. The NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or you want to ride that hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score to next fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game exciting, especially when your team’s making that late push. How about when you’re brewing that 9:30 p.m. coffee? While that coffee is brewing, go check out FanDuel and see what the odds are for the Ottawa Senters up against the Anaheim Ducks. Right now, your Ottawa Centers are favorites minus 134 and the overunder set at 6 and a half. So, if you want to get some action in on tonight’s game to stay up, do it with FanDuel. And if you’re a new customer, FanDuel will give you $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So head to fanduel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. All right, Billy, game day for the Ottawa Senators. Get your coffee on at about 4 or 5:00. If not, try to get a nap in before the game. What’s your routine before a 10 p.m. start? coffee that early. That is that gonna keep you going for if you do it at 4:00, you gotta have what, another nine hours out of that one? I think it’s just the midday lull that I need to get over. I’m not afraid to stay up a little late. So, that’s not a problem for me. It’s just getting through that that mid middle section of the day, getting enough done where I’ll feel good about settling in for a 10:00 start. And obviously the post that the energy and the vibe that the citizens give us just gets me so fired up. That’s not a problem. But yeah, four or five o’clock I’ll get the coffee in. I’ll have probably a bit of a late dinner. Yep. Read some books to the baby before bed. Love it. And then away we go. Yeah. I I need a later coffee to keep me going. Uh so you’re a Red Bull IV guy. No, I’m off the energy drinks. Uh big lifestyle. One of my big lifestyle changes this year. trying to be a little more healthy, a little more active. I’ve cut out energy drinks. Massive move for me. I used to be a huge energy drink guy multiple times a week. Those things, news flash, not good. Not great for you. Um, so I’m I’m trying to stick to more coffee, but I do and drip drop. Yeah, of course, drip drop. Um, to stay hydrated, but I do like a new thing I’ve been doing, and this is maybe just as crazy as an energy drink, though. Coke Zero with an a shot of espresso in it and then a splash of milk. It makes like a creamy Coke coffee type thing. I might I might go with that uh right after dinner, maybe around 8 8:00, something like that. But that uh that’ll get you going. Yeah, fired up for it. So, we’ll see you in the postcast after the game. But let’s talk about the Anaheim Ducks who are a highflying bunch, second in the league behind Colorado in goals for per game. 365 goals per game. Um they’re 136 and one on the season. They are very impressive and they’re being led by a youth movement that surrounds what at the time people thought was a surprising pick at second overall behind Connor Badard. Everyone thought it was going to be Adam Fantelli. Oh, you’re going a different way. They had another surprising pick. Yes. And he’s already in the lineup at 19 years old. So, we’ll get to that in a moment. But this Leo Carlson is like a superstar in the league. He’s already got 27 points in 20 games. I’m already ready to crown him the number one center for team Sweden at the Olympics. Like, he is an incred who would bump him. Well, I mean, historically, you got Mika Zabanad there. Yeah, that’s not happening this year. Yeah. Yeah. And I’m trying to think, they they got a lot more wings than centermen in uh in there. Oh, uh Lias Patterson would be the other one. Yeah, I don’t think he’s bumping them either. And Ross huge. This is Leo Carlson’s contract season. Uh but is he not signed? They’ve they’ve been so weird with their contracts. I mean, they ended up getting it done with Mason McTavish, but Pat Verbique is very, very frisky in contract negotiations, right? It didn’t go well for Dale. Boom. He’s on the next flight out of town. Yeah. Well, and then they hand Jackson Lome that mammoth uh deal and cutter Goautier also contract year for him. So, those guys are going to be looking at the deals that uh got signed recently by McTavish, but more importantly, Lome in the that’s more of a new age deal and they’re going to be looking for that type of money. You better believe it. Oh, and he’s deserving. Carlson is certainly worth it. Goautier. Maybe that’s a it’s a little too soon. He is. It’s a little too soon to see if he’s worth locking up like that, but Carlson is incredible stud. So, be aware when he’s on the ice. I’m not even going to waste a lookout player on him because we’re talking about him now. He’s He’s 20 until Boxing Day and just an incredible He just had his and 101st NHL point both in the last five games, played 151 games. So, this is a kid that is going to be a superstar for years to come. He’s also got two short-handed goals this season, so you got to be aware of him when you’re on the penalty kill. 63, 210, big body, and plays the game hard in all three zones. Let’s take a look at how the Anaheim Ducks line up in tonight’s game. It’s going to be a very, very challenging opponent for Ottawa. You’ve got Leo Carlson on the top line with a rejuvenated Chris Krider and longtime Anaheim Duck Troy Terry. The second line is Cart Boy, Mason McTavish with Cutter Goautier and Beckett Senica. Then you’ve got Ryanstrom with Frank Vetrano and Alex Khorn. Jansen Harkkins is centering the fourth line with Ross Johnston and Nikita Nestero. The back end is Jackson Lome with Drew Helison, Olan Zelwagger with Jacob Trouva, also rejuvenated. Spot the uh parallels of those two guys. And then you’ve got is it Lucas Moore or Ian Moore? I think it’s Ian Moorean on the third pair with their captain Radco Gudis in goal, Peter Morazzic. And Peter Morazzic is having a hilarious season. He’s three and one, but his best game was the loss. It’s also the most recent time that he’s been in goal. He only allowed um I think it was one if not two in the game against the Minnesota Wild that Yasper Walstead got the shut out. It was just one goal. Empty netter was the other one. and he’s gotten better as the season went on. He got two hilarious wins, 76 in overtime and 75, both on the road, but then in his last two, I mean, he beat Vegas in overtime and then a two nothing loss where he only let in one on 29. So, even though it is a backup game, Peter Morazzic’s been playing good hockey of late, so they’re going to have to get to him, get to him early. Very athletic goalie. He’s the type of guy where you’re looking for those second and third chances where he’s got himself out of position, but you got to attack and get a ton of shots on him. That’s one key to victory. But who’s your lookout player tonight for the Anaheim Ducks? My lookout player is going to be number 65 Jacob Trouba. You talk about rejuvenation, Ross. This guy got rejuvenated. The captain of the New York Rangers and only six points in 24 games. Then he gets traded to Anaheim and he only gets eight points in 53 games uh in finishing up the season with the Ducks. So he only finishes with 14 points math guy last season total. In 20 games he’s already up to 12 and he leads the Ducks at a plus 14. He’s second on the team in hits. He leads the Ducks in blocks. Like this guy has figured out his game coming to California and getting out of New York. So, it’s been really good for him to have a new opportunity. Probably a lot less pressure being the captain of the New York Rangers in that city and especially when it’s not going good is probably tough thing to deal with in your personal life. So, he gets a little bit more of a chill uh less focused role here. And he’s doing a good job. And to be beside Zelwagger, that’s a great spot to be if you’re Trouba. So, I’m going to be looking out for him because you look at that right side Ross with Trouba and Gudas. That is some big boys that aren’t afraid to dish out some physical play and you got to be aware of that if you’re the Saints. Trouba, Krider, Vetrano, and Stro. All former New York Rangers that are on this Anaheim Ducks team. And for Chris Krider, it’s also been a rejuvenation. He’s got 10 goals in 16 games so far. He has slowed down of late. He started out red-hot, but that’s pretty incredible that he’s third on the team in goals. My lookout player is going to be the guy who’s number one in goals on the team. Cutter Goautier with 12 and 23 points. He’s a plus 10. He’s a part of one of the best lines in hockey in terms of real goals. So maybe you could say I was looking like a Sabres fan there talking about expected goals when you change it to real goals. There’s only one line better than McTavish, Goautier, and Senica in terms of five on five scoring, and that’s the top line in Colorado where McKinnon, Nachas, and Artur Lechinan are just dominating. But the line of Goautier, McTavish, and Senica are doing a lot of the same that let’s rewind the clock here a little bit. That’s a 22y old, a 23 year old, and a 20-year-old on a top six line in the National Hockey League. Cutter Go is among the NHL’s leaders in shots on goal this season as well. Psey, he’s got 89 shots on goal. That’s actually number one now in the league. Two more than Jason Robertson and four more than Nathan McKinnon. Incredible shot volume. So, keep that guy to the outside at all costs. To put that into perspective, Tim Stutzel leads the Senators with 51 shots. What? Got 38 more shots than Tim Stutz. Yeah. Wow. So, look out for Cutter Goate when he’s on the ice. Absolutely. All right. Can I dive into my keys to victory tease here? Yes, sir. Ross, if you had to guess where I’m going with this, I’m going to try to lead you into this so it proves my point even more. Uh, coming from me, what would you say is the key to a good power play or key to a good penalty kill? Movement. Ah, that’s that is key. But I I’m leaning into faceoffs here, Ross. And you talk about the faceoffs on the power play. Your Ottawa Senators lead the league in power play faceoff percentage with 69.7. Now, I’m going to lead you into this even more. Who do you think is dead last in the league in shorthanded faceoff percentage? The Anaheim Ducks. The Anaheim Ducks sit at 31.5% in the faceoff dot when they’re short-handed. Oh my god. The Ottawa Centers approximately approximately win two out of three draws on the power play and the Ducks only approximately win one out of three draws when they’re short-handed. I think that those stats are going to work nicely together. Uh they pretty much check out. So if you get the Ottawa Senators winning those faceoffs on the power play and then Ross, that’s where I’ll go to my number two movement. Then you get some good movement in the O zone. Try to wear out those penalty killers that are on a second half of a backto back. And if you can execute like we’ve seen the Ottawa Senators do, uh who was it? Timmy that finished off that power play goal or was it Bath? M can’t recall. It’s been so long since the Senators I know. What was that play where they had that amazing quick bang bang? I think it was against the Bruins. Yeah, it was. That was their last power play. Jeru Jiru finished it off. Correct. Yes. On a sick seam pass from uh And how did that start? A faceoff win to Sandy, I believe. Uh clean to him. So, if you can do that, that’s going to set you up for success here. The Boston Bruins went two for two last night up against the Anaheim Ducks on their power play. So, I think that’s going to be a massive key for this team being able to be effective. We haven’t seen a game in a while where the sense of one leaning fully on their power play. Now, now I’m not saying that that should be what you rely on, but I wouldn’t mind seeing couple days rest, a team that sucks short-handed winning faceoffs in the Anaheim Ducks. Take advantage of that and absolutely dominate the DOT with a man advantage and shots on net, please. Like, I don’t get this perfect passing. Like it’s nice when it works. That’s the rules. Yeah, when it works it’s pretty sick, Ross. Yeah, it is. But like how often are we waiting for the first shot on a power play? At least when that first unit’s out there, the first 30 seconds should absolutely be a shooting gallery. Just everything at the net and just go for rebounds and try to get puck retrievalss because that’s another key part of power plays is how are you going to get those second and third looks. But Ottawa at times just seems so intent on moving around the perimeter and it just they’re not getting to those dirty areas. And yeah, you get the asterisk that Brady’s their number one guy and arguably the one of the best guys in the league at being a netfront power play guy, but Ottawa’s got too many good shooters. For a while, there weren’t enough shooters for Ottawa. Sanderson’s been shooting the puck a ton. I want to see him hitting the net because that miss with 14 seconds left in the game against LA has been ringing through my head the last little while. high and wide. No, on the ice low, get that tip even if you miss wide. But that said, these guys, Cousins, shooter, Pinto shooter. These guys have the opportunity to get pucks. Timmy shooter. I was going to say, yeah, get Timmy in that too, Ross. These guys need to shoot the puck on the power play. And my key to the road trip, Billy, I got two of them. The first one, the power play early cuz this this stretch is it’s ugly. And they’re still 11th in the league. That’s how high they were in the especially those two games where they go back to back three goals on the power play then four that’s going to help the season average of course but the stretch they’re on right now where it’s just hasn’t been even looking good. There’s times where a power play just doesn’t produce and that’s one thing but when it’s just not even like looking the part that’s where I’ve got a big issue. So, they have to generate momentum on their power plays, especially in these first two, three games. Otherwise, you’re going to even get further along. Like, when they’re in quick secession, I feel like this is a good reset for that. But when you’re going every other night, and if the power play continues to struggle, they’re going to see on the ticker when they turn on their their uh their app that, oh man, we’re still not producing on the man advantage. And I think it could weigh on them throughout the trip. And they’re going to need their power play in the later portion of this uh this road trip. Like they’ve only scored one power play goal in their last 23 opportunities. The Senators have as many short-handed goals as they do power play goals in their last nine games. Not going to cut it. Key to victory. The other one is use your extras. And this might sound wild based on the fact that tonight the extras are McDermad and Lassie Thompson, but you cannot expect the top guys to be able to play all of these seven games and be at their best. I want to see Travis Green have a strategic coaching strategy where he’s able to get guys in and out of the lineup. It’ll be easier later on if and when Thomas Shabbat comes back and when Brady Kachchuck comes back, but even before that like I wouldn’t mind seeing Lassie in San Jose just to get a bit of a different look. See, obviously it depends on performance. If Matt and Paulo has a good night here, away you go. It’s all good. But don’t be shy to use all the bodies you brought. On that note, do you think we could see Dennis Gilbert once he’s cleared join them on this road trip? I don’t know what his status is. Right. He didn’t play yesterday for Belleville, so clearly he’s not game ready. Belleville’s got two big games this weekend against Laval. So, we’ll keep an eye out. Maybe you fly him out. Like, uh, Belleville’s flying to Winnipeg, so at least it’s easier to go from Winnipeg. There’s daily flight to LA from from the Peg. So, maybe they get him out after the game Tuesday. They play a 10:30 a.m. game in Winnipeg. Maybe they say, “Hop on a flight. Come join us in uh in LA. We’ll meet you back there after we’re back from San Jose.” and then he gets on the flight. But um I I wouldn’t I think we’re more likely to see Lassie Thompson than we are Dennis Gilbert on this trip. But any final thoughts on today’s show, Pelysey? I’m excited for this game, man. Like I said off the top of the show, like this will be a good opportunity for the sends to one use their strength, which is defending and keeping shots suppressed with a good offensive team you’re going up against. But I think Ottawa will have their opportunities tonight to put a few on the board. Yeah. And just before my final thought, Ross, I want to dig even deeper onto the faceoff percentages on the power play. Listen to this. Shane Pinto, buddy. This is all power play, faceoff win percentage. Pinto 85.7, Drew 75, Eller 75, Ridley Greg 69.2, Brady Kachchuck, small sample size, but 66.7, Cousins 66.7, and or no, that was Timmy 66.7, and Cousins 61.5. So, the lowest power play percentage uh of faceoffs is Cousins at 61.5. So, there’s no excuse for this team not to be converting on power plays when you’re you’re starting off with possession and you’re able to get the the cycle and the play setup. So, I love seeing that from the Sens. Let’s keep it going here. Final thought for me. The G Storm will be hosting the MEM Cup in 2027. Uh, you guys know I’m a Gtorm guy. That’s where my OHL allegiance lies. That’s where I started my broadcasting career, volunteering for Rogers TV, cameraman, replay, things like that. So, I got a soft spot for the G Storm. So, they’re going to be hosting in 2027. I always like seeing these announcements, Ross, because how long is it going to take for us to see the Gtorm have traded 13 draft picks for this top prospect? like you load up for when your team is hosting the Mem Cup. So, I’m excited cuz this this golf team has not been very good for quite a long time. So, it’s going to be nice to see them get a boost here and have a reason to load up. All right, the Memorial Cup this year is in Colona, so stay tuned for that. My favorite spots. Let’s go a little bit later on in the season. Yeah, it’s going to be a good game tonight and I’m excited to follow along here. Uh maybe the sends will have uh some players in that Memorial Cup. But fired up for you. You’ll get some scouting reports for us in the 2027 Memorial Cup. Well, we’re about nine hours away from puck draw. Fired up for this one tonight. And I’m going to keep saying it until it doesn’t start well. So, you know what? This hasn’t been starting well lately, dude. We can’t even put that narrative out there. No, I don’t want that narrative out there. I’m just trying to temper my expectations cuz I’m getting a little hot and bothered thinking about a couple power play goals. I got flashbacks. Forget the game in Anaheim last year where the Ducks got a shootout win. How about the game in Ottawa where it was a complete beatdown of the Ducks. Drake Btherson had a hat-tick in that game. That was one of the worst games of the year. I remember we talked to or uh sorry, the fir the first Anaheim game, sorry. Uh, I remember talking to Sens fans being like, “What are some of the worst games of the year?” And that first Anaheim game, or I forget the order of it, but I remember the one Anaheim game was just terrible. Well, this one was fantastic. 5-1 in Ottawa. It was the night they put Wade Reen into the Ring of Honor and they won 51. Two uh they had three power play goals. Man, what’s Every time I look up a game against the Ducks, Brady Kachchuck is scoring. What’s his career numbers against the Ducks? He’s got six goals, eight points in 12 games against Anaheim. But we won’t get to see Brady tonight. Hopefully very soon. You’ll get to see us very soon tonight in the postcast. We’ll see you after the game. Again, if you miss it, no worries. It’ll be available for you everywhere you get podcasts right after we finish our live on YouTube. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and everywhere you get your podcast. Really helps the show grow. We’re part of Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network for Brandon Pillar. I’m Ross Levitan. 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.

It’s game day for the Ottawa Senators, and Ross Levitan and Brandon Piller are fired up for the West Coast road trip! In this episode, the guys preview the matchup against the Anaheim Ducks, breaking down lineups, key players to watch, and the critical importance of an explosive first period. They dive into the Senators recent power play struggles, what needs to change, and which players need to step up with Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot still sidelined. The excitement builds for Stephen Halliday’s NHL debut, and we debate what would make this seven-game road swing a success. Plus, they spotlight Ducks stars Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, the Senators’ power play face-off dominance, and offer their predictions for the trip. Join Locked On Senators for your daily dose of team talk and road trip optimism!

00:00:00 Game Day Preview & Ottawa’s Road Trip
00:04:47 Stephen Halliday Makes His NHL Debut
00:13:04 Ottawa Senators Lineup Breakdown
00:25:30 Anaheim Ducks Lineup & Players to Watch
00:32:15 Keys to Victory for Ottawa Senators

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