We’re back, and so is Brady Tkachuk (and we’re being paid the same amount for this, believe it or not).
Whom:
Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Where:
Ottawa, where it all began. (Did you know hockey was invented in Ottawa? I am fairly confident that is not true. But that’s never stopped us before!)
When:
7:00 PM Ottawa Time (EDT)
Television:
Nothing American (buttheads—America, I mean, America is buttheads in this case).
The Odds:
Sens +150; Leafs -170; o/u 6½ (u -120) [English translation: Senators are about 39% likely to win, 61% likely to lose; expected number of goals scored is below 6.5 but not all the way to 6.25]
The Opponent:
The Leafs are supposed to be good, but that’s evidently often been the case lately. They haven’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2004, if I’m reading that right, but, again, they’re supposed to be good. They’re coming off a 2-1 win last night at home over Montreal, so they’ve got the back-to-back thing happening.
The Senators:
Matt Murray’s out with a cold, making it Anton Forsberg in net for the home team. Brady Tkachuk’s out with a just-signed-the-contract-today, shaking up the lines a bit. It’s a tough start to the season schedule-wise, with the Leafs tonight and Saturday and then a no-rest game Sunday against the Stars, which ratchets up the pressure a notch but also adds a free-play element: If the Sens can win tonight, it’ll feel like stolen points.
Go Sens Go.
