Gameday: Ottawa Senators face pivotal matchup against Detroit Red Wings

With playoff race tight, Senators need to get back on track after losing two straight

Published Jan 07, 2025  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Senators forward Noah Gregor tries to get around the stick of the Red Wings' J.T. Compher during an Oct. 4 preseason NHL contest at Detroit. Photo by Gregory Shamus /GETTY IMAGES

Senators (19-17-2) at Red Wings (17-18-4)

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Tonight, 7 p.m. Little Ceasar’s Arena

TV: TSN5 Radio: TSN 1200 AM

ODDS: Ottawa +186 Detroit -235

A MUST WIN

The Senators woke up on the outside of the National Hockey League’s playoff picture for the first time in three weeks on Monday morning.

The club has lost four of its last five games without top goaltender Linus Ullmark and the Senators need to right the ship to stay in the race.

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Detroit has won four straight under new head coach Todd McLellan and the Wings are one of the teams the Senators are battling to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

The Senators scored a 2-1 win over the Wings on Dec. 5 at home.

“You see the standings. I watch a lot of hockey,” said centre Tim Stutzle after the club’s skate on Monday. “We’ve just got to focus on ourselves, and we want to win as many games as we can.

“It’s about us in here and it doesn’t really matter what other teams do. We’re just trying to win our games.”

GET BACK ON TRACK

Stutzle is battling the flu and has gone three straight games without recording a shot on net.

He’s still having a great season with 12 goals and 40 points in 38 games, but the club needs its top centre to play with more consistency, especially when the Senators are struggling to score goals.

Nobody has to tell Stutzle he has to be better.

“It’s not as good as I want to be,” said Stutzle. “There are always going to be highs and lows throughout the season and right now I’ve just got to get back to playing my game.”

He said the flu bug running through the room has zapped his energy.

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“That’s not an excuse,” Stutzle said. “I want to be better, I want to play better for the team, especially after the last three games. Our whole group hasn’t had a lot of energy and we have to get back to playing the way we want to play.”

SO WHO STARTS?

It feels like rookie Leevi Merilainen is the best bet for the Senators to win right now with Linus Ullmark sidelined.

Backup Anton Forsberg has struggled mightily this season and has only one win in his last five games. Merilainen has a 2-2-0 record with a 3.10 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage.

Coach Travis Green wasn’t about to tip his hand on his starter.

THE ROSTERS

OTTAWA

Forwards

Tkachuk/Pinto/Greig

Gaudette/Stutzle/Batherson

Cousins/Norris/Giroux

Reinhardt/Ostapchuk/Gregor

Defencemen

Chabot/Jensen

Sanderson/Mantinpalo

Kleven/Zub

Goaltenders

Merilainen/Forsberg

DETROIT

Forwards

Veleno/Larkin/Raymond

DeBrincat/Copp/Kane

Berggren/Compher/Tarasenko

Rasmussen/Kasper/Motte

Defence

Chiarot/Seider

Edvinsson/Johansson

Gustafsson/Holl

Goalies

Talbot/Lyon

INJURY REPORT

OTTAWA

F Michael Amadio (concussion, has resumed skating); D Jacob Bernard-Docker (left leg, undetermined); D Travis Hamonic (knee, four weeks); F David Perron (upper body, has resumed skating); G Linus Ullmark (back, didn’t make the trip).

DETROIT

D Jeff Petry (undisclosed, day-to-day).

[email protected]

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