Penguins at Senators
The Ottawa Senators have had plenty of time to reflect on their successful trek to Sweden last week, but even more time to dwell on last spring's double-overtime loss to Pittsburgh in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Bobby Ryan is expected to return to the lineup Thursday as the host Senators hope to exact a bit of revenge against the two-time reigning Stanley Cup-champion Penguins.
"They are the team that we were one goal away from beating, for one, and they ended our season. Then they went on to win (the Stanley Cup)." Ryan told reporters. "You look at all that stuff and it's frustrating. There will be some added incentives for guys, absolutely." The 30-year-old Ryan is expected to be paired with recent acquisition Matt Duchene as he returns from an eight-game absence due to a broken finger for Ottawa, which posted a pair of 4-3 wins over Colorado in Stockholm. Pittsburgh also is coming off a victory - a 5-4 overtime triumph over Buffalo on Tuesday - that saw captain Sidney Crosby snap an 11-game goal-scoring drought. The two-time Hart Trophy winner had little difficulty finding the scoresheet in the Eastern Conference finals, scoring a goal in Games 3-5 while amassing six points (three goals, three assists) in the last five contests of the series.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, TSN5, RDS2 (Toronto)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (10-7-3): Mike Sullivan has seen his team taken to task defensively far too many times this season, and the coach was quick to send a message during Wednesday's practice. "We have to force teams to have to work extremely hard to get those high-quality type chances," Sullivan told reporters. "It can't be because we have a lack of focus or discipline or concentration or whatever the term is you might want to use, where we become easier to play against because we don't manage the puck the right way or we don't stay on the right side of a puck battle or we don't change as smart." Pittsburgh has permitted at least four goals in each of the last three contests, and its 72 allowed is the second-highest total in the NHL behind struggling Arizona.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (8-3-5): Mark Stone has been on a tear with 10 goals and 17 points in his last 13 games, including a pair of tallies in Friday's overtime victory over the Avalanche and another the following day. Fellow forward Mike Hoffman netted a pair of goals in Saturday's triumph to give him 11 points (three goals, eight assists) during his eight-game streak. Captain Erik Karlsson also is contributing offensively, as the two-time Norris Trophy winner notched a pair of assists in both contests in his home country to give him 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) during a seven-game streak.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh RW Phil Kessel has scored a goal in four consecutive contests and notched five assists during his five-game point streak.
2. Senators G Craig Anderson, who is expected to get the start on Thursday, owns a 5-8-2 career record versus the Penguins.
3. Pittsburgh C Evgeni Malkin has scored one goal and set up five others during his four-game point streak.