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<\/p>\nTo be the best, you\u2019ve got to beat the best.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the challenge the Ottawa Senators will face as they close out their trip through the Sunshine State with a Saturday night game against the two-time defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers at the Amerant Bank Arena.<\/p>\n
Coming off a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the season opener on Thursday night, the Senators may also be bolstered by the return of winger Drake Batherson, who missed that contest after pulling a muscle in practice on Sept. 24.<\/p>\n
Batherson told reporters before he left Ottawa on Tuesday that he wouldn\u2019t face the Lightnint, but hadn\u2019t ruled out a return to the lineup against the Panthers, and, even if he didn\u2019t play Saturday, he would be ready for the home opener against the Nashville Predators on Monday.<\/p>\n
Batherson took part in the morning skate on Thursday and was on the ice again in Fort Lauderdale on Friday.<\/p>\n
Getting Batherson back would give head coach Travis Green and his staff more options up front. Michael Amadio was on the right side of Dylan Cozens against the Lightning, but Batherson has good chemistry in that spot with the club\u2019s second-line centre.<\/p>\n
You can never have too much depth or too many options, which is why getting Batherson back would be a bonus to start the National Hockey League\u2019s regular season. The Senators won\u2019t have to make a roster move to activate Batherson because they have 22 healthy players.<\/p>\n
Facing the Panthers this early will be a good opportunity for the Senators to find out where they stand. They weren\u2019t very good in the first period against the Lightning, but came back from a two-goal deficit in the second period to secure the win.<\/p>\n
The Senators locked it down defensively for the final 25 minutes, barely allowing the Bolts a shot on goal. Four of their own five goals came at even strength, and their best players were at the top of their game for the final 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the way we did it,\u201d said captain Brady Tkachuk, who had three assists. \u201cThe resilience and the perseverance that we showed. After the first period, it could have gone one of two ways, and the result followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe maturity in our game really showed. There were times in the past when we\u2019d try to make a play at all costs, or, when we\u2019re down 3-1, we need to score, score, score, we need to play our game. We did that and trusted the process and in each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why we won. We did it together.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Senators forwards Ridly Greig, left, and Shane Pinto celebrate Pinto\u2019s goal in the second period of Thursday\u2019s game against the Lightning.<\/p>\n
It helped that centre Shane Pinto was at the top of his game with two goals and an assist, while defenceman Artem Zub chipped in with a rare three-point effort. You need contributions from everybody, and offence from the defence is never a bad thing.<\/p>\n
What will be interesting to watch is how Green uses his goaltenders this weekend. It would be no surprise to see backup Leevi Merilainen make his debut against the Panthers on Saturday, with Linus Ullmark getting the nod versus the Predators at home on Monday.<\/p>\n
Ullmark allowed four goals on 25 shots against the Lightning, including two by Nikita Kucherov, whose second score pulled Tampa to within a goal with 14 seconds remaining. That came after it looked like Ottawa\u2019s Claude Giroux had salted this one away with a shot into an empty net.<\/p>\n
Merilainen has to make a start at some point, and this game against the Panthers would be the best-case scenario if the Senators want to give him one early.<\/p>\n
Not having Ullmark start the home opener would be shades of former coach Dave Cameron using Matt O\u2019Connor ahead of Craig Anderson to start the 2015 campaign.<\/p>\n
Merilianen was terrible in the pre-season, but those weren\u2019t NHL lineups, and those games were meaningless. He was solid last season when Ullmark was injured, and Merilainen is expected to play 30-35 games this season, regardless of what happens.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll have to wait to see what happens on the blue-line as well.<\/p>\n
Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for two draft picks in the summer, defenceman Jordan Spence was a healthy scratch in Tampa as the club dressed Nikolas Matinpalo instead.<\/p>\n
Will Spence make his debut against the Panthers?<\/p>\n
Matinpalo was minus-1 in just over 13 minutes of ice time. Green likely wanted size in the lineup against the Lightning, and the Panthers are an even more physical challenge.<\/p>\n
The first game of what will be a long, difficult season for the Senators is in the books, and it ended with a victory. It was a good start to what the club and its faithful hope will be a great year.<\/p>\n