Scouting Report: Ottawa Senators

By foxsports
Published

By Eric Smith
FOXSportsOhio.com
Friday, Dec. 31, 2010




While the Blue Jackets were coming back from two first-quarter deficits for the second straight game Thursday night, the Ottawa Senators were back in Columbus with their feet up awaiting the teams' New Year's Eve contest at Nationwide Arena.

While the Blue Jackets were improving to 19-15-3 with a 3-2 victory at Toronto, coach Cory Clouston and his Senators (16-18-4) was trying to figure out a way to get his team to score more goals. The Senators have struggled all year to put pucks in the net: They have scored only 86 goals, the fifth-lowest total in the NHL. The team is coming off a 4-0  loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Ottawa is playing without top-line center Jason Spezza, who injured a shoulder Dec. 26 when he was hit from behind by Pittsburgh's Kris Letang. It's not clear how long Spezza will be out because doctors are waiting for the swelling to subside to get a better idea of the damage. Most believe Spezza will be out at least six weeks.

In the meantime, the Senators need to lean on Daniel Alfredsson, who, at 11 years, is the longest serving captain in the NHL. His leadership is key, especially in road games, where he is tied for the team lead with eight goals and 14 points in 17 outings. Alfredsson can't do it alone, though, and he's been getting help from Erik Karlsson, who has produced four goals and 10 assists on the road.

It will behoove the Blue Jackets to stay out of the penalty box because the Senators rely on their power play on the road: Ottawa has been scoring at a 21.4 percent rate with the man advantage away from home.

Key to the Ottawa power play is Sergei Gonchar, who has scored 13 of his 17 points with the man advantage. And, in eight games against Columbus, he has six goals and 13 points.

Ottawa goalie Brian Elliott (12-11-3) is having an up and down season. In recent games, he allowed only a goal apiece in wins against the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins but then gave up four soft goals against the Hurricanes. But the Senators don't have many choices in net because former Blue Jacket Pascal Leclaire is sidelined with a lower body injury.

Here are the keys to Friday's game as the Blue Jackets tr to stretch their winning streak to three games:

1. Score first: The Jackets have been playing with fire as they have had to rally in their past two wins. They will get burned if they can't get on the scoreboard first. They are 13-2-0 when they score first.

2. Keep it clean: The Jackets took only one penalty against the Maple Leafs, and a repeat performance would be to their benefit. The Senators are having all kinds of trouble scoring, and the power play is where they like to do their damage. If the Jackets can keep this game at even strength, the Senators will likely struggle to score.

3. Shoot often: Elliott is coming off a shaky outing. The Jackets would be wise to fire off the puck early and often. And Columbus' forwards need to buzz the net and make Elliott uncomfortable.

The Blue Jackets-Senators game will be televised by FOX Sports Ohio, and fans can participate in a live chat during the game inside the