Senators at Red Wings
After stumbling through a 5 1/2-week stretch of listless, inconsistent play, the Detroit Red Wings had to go to the final two games of the calendar year to feel good about their play. The same cannot be said of the staggering Ottawa Senators, who are hoping 2018 brings a fresh start when they visit Detroit on Wednesday night.
Both the Senators and Red Wings saw their season take a downward turn with a seven-game losing streak beginning in mid-November. Detroit's skid ignited a tailspin in which the team lost 13 of 16 games (3-8-5) before posting impressive victories over the New York Rangers (3-2 in a shootout) and Pittsburgh Penguins (4-1) to open the current five-game homestand. "I think we're playing better, I think we're playing smarter," forward Justin Abdelkader told reporters following Tuesday's practice. "We've learned from some of our past losses and we know the time is here now at home to make a stand and win some games." Ottawa has shown no sign of halting its spiral, suffering its 17th loss in 21 games (4-14-3) in a 5-0 thrashing by visiting Boston on Saturday night.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TVA, Sportsnet (Ottawa), FS Detroit Plus
ABOUT THE SENATORS (12-17-8): Ottawa held its annual team skills competition one day after the drubbing by Boston. Yet the most glaring issue facing the team is scoring as the Senators were shut out in five of the last 13 games. "We've put ourselves in a hole where we are going to need a fantastic run and we're going to need help," said forward Mark Stone, who leads the team with 15 goals and 34 points. "We've put ourselves in a deep, deep hole."
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (15-16-7): After amassing 72 goals over a three-season span, Gustav Nyquist dipped to 12 last season - a total he matched by scoring twice in Sunday's win over the Penguins. "Obviously last year I didn't score as much as I would have liked to," Nyquist told reporters. "It's hard to put a finger on it but it's nice to see them go in right now." Captain Henrik Zetterberg assisted on both of Nyquist's tallies, giving him 11 points in nine games.
OVERTIME
1. Red Wings G Jimmy Howard has yielded seven goals in his last four starts, and three in two meetings with Ottawa this season.
2. Ottawa had only five power-play chances in the past four games, failing on each of them.
3. Detroit F Anthony Mantha, who leads the team with 13 goals, practiced fully Tuesday and pronounced himself ready to return to the lineup.