The Ottawa Senators begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday night facing the Vegas Golden Knights at 10 p.m. ET on TSN5. The Senators hold an 8-4-0 record with 16 points for second place in the Atlantic Division, while the Golden Knights sit second in the Pacific Division at 8-4-1 with 17 points.
Goaltending Changes for Both Teams
Both squads enter the matchup dealing with injuries to their starting goaltenders. Following his first start of the season in a 7-4 victory against the New York Rangers on Saturday, Jonas Johansson will make consecutive starts for the Senators, with head coach Travis Green stating, “JoJo will go.” Johansson stepped into the role while Linus Ullmark recovers from an injury sustained against Florida, with Ullmark expected to miss at least another week. With backup Sam Ersson lacking consistency, Green is choosing to ride the hot hand.
Meanwhile, the Golden Knights encountered an unexpected setback during Tuesday’s morning skate when goaltender Carter Hart sustained an apparent injury while making a save and limped off the ice. Knights head coach Ryan Craig confirmed that Adin Hill will start in goal against the Senators after allowing six goals on 31 shots against St. Louis on Thursday. Regarding Hart, Craig stated, “No update. (Hart) left the morning skate. He’s being evaluated. He’s in good hands. We’ve got a plan here moving forward either way. We’ll be ready for tonight.” According to Jesse Granger from The Athletic, a potential call-up would likely be Cameron Whitehead, an Orleans native who has yet to play in the NHL and currently holds a 1.72 goals against average and a .944 save percentage through three AHL games with Henderson.
Recent Team Form and Lineups
The Senators bounced back from a 6-2 loss to San Jose with Saturday’s win over the Rangers, powered by Drake Batherson’s third career hat trick and an assist on Dylan Cozens’ first goal of the season. Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, and Michael Amadio also contributed goals, keeping Stützle on a 109-point pace with 16 points in 12 games, while Batherson has recorded six goals and 11 points in his last ten outings. On the injury front, captain Thomas Chabot has resumed practicing in a regular jersey following an injury earlier this month, whereas William Eklund remains out with an ankle injury.
The Golden Knights are aiming to halt a three-game losing skid where they have been outscored 14-5, following a 2-1 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday featuring a goal from Tomáš Hertl and an overtime winner by Adam Fantilli. Jack Eichel leads Vegas with 19 points in 13 games, and former Senator Mark Stone has 15. Mitch Marner returns to the lineup after missing two games following the birth of his second child with his wife, Stephanie.
Projected lineups feature Fabian Zetterlund, Tim Stützle, and Claude Giroux on the Senators’ top forward line, paired with defensemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub behind Johansson and Ersson. The Golden Knights’ projected top line features Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Mark Stone, backed by defensemen Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore in front of Adin Hill and Cameron Whitehead, as reported by Hannah Kirkell of The Hockey News.
