Game Preview #7: New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (5-1-0) at the Ottawa Senators (3-1-2; SBN Blog: Silver Seven)

The Time: 7:30 PM EST

The Broadcast: TV - MSG+

Who Gets the Start?: Coach John Hynes has kept who he will start in net tonight under wraps. Both Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid have played well early on. Hynes wouldn’t elaborate beyond “Cory won’t start both games.”, so checking Amanda Stein’s Twitter today around morning skate time should shed some light.

Mojo Falling: Marcus Johansson has had a rough run of things lately. Following a second period benching during Saturday’s game, Johansson was then made the victim of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s lethal top line. He was a -2 in that Tampa game. A product of playing across from the line of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Vladislav Namestnikov, Mojo finished the game with 19:22 of ice-time and not a single shot accounted for.

The Senators: Ottawa has retained much of their identity that made them an Eastern Conference Finalist a year ago. That stout defense is still there. Their ability to clog up the neutral zone is still one of the hallmarks of their style. Erik Karlsson is still Erik Karlsson. The Senator’s 27-year-old perennial Norris Trophy Candidate returned to the Ottawa lineup on Tuesday following a recovery from ankle surgery. He was greeted at Canadian Tire Centre by the Vancouver Canucks, who promptly handed Ottawa a 3-0 defeat. The Senators remain win-less in two games at home this season. Here’s a recap of the Ottawa-Vancouver game from Silver Seven. The Senators were looking pretty good even without Karlsson. They have allowed the second-fewest goals in the league to this point, just behind the St. Louis Blues.

Your Take: Who starts in goal? Are there any changes to the current lines you’d like to see? What do you think about Hischier between Stafford and Hall? Let us know in the comments.