Senators at Devils
A troubling pattern has emerged for the Ottawa Senators, one that has prevented the team from building any momentum and moving up the standings in the Atlantic Division. The Senators have followed their last seven wins with losses, but they have a chance to halt that trend when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. Ottawa is coming off an impressive 3-2 overtime win over St. Louis and can post consecutive victories for the first time since capturing three straight from Nov. 5-9.
New Jersey has won only twice in seven games (2-4-1) in December but also is coming off a strong performance, riding a 33-save shutout by Martin Brodeur to a 3-0 win over Tampa Bay. Now the Devils must find a way to conquer a nemesis in the Senators, who have won the past four meetings between the teams, including a 5-2 victory in Ottawa on Oct. 17. The home team has won 11 of the last 15 matchups, although the Senators are 3-1-1 in the last five at New Jersey.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS (Ottawa), MSG Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE SENATORS (14-15-6): Rookie defenseman Cody Ceci made sure his first NHL goal was a memory to treasure, scoring the deciding tally in overtime against the Blues. An Ottawa native, Ceci was playing in only his third career game after his promotion from Binghamtom of the American Hockey League - where both his goals also were overtime winners. "I'll definitely remember this," said Ceci, a first-round pick in 2012. "It's a special moment, it couldn't have happened at a better time."
ABOUT THE DEVILS (13-15-6): Brodeur extended his own NHL record with his 124th career shutout and third of the season, but he has lost four consecutive decisions to Ottawa - two via shootout. Brodeur said it has not been easy splitting time with Cory Schneider after being the No. 1 goaltender for so many years. "I know for me, it's always been hard not to be there all the time," Brodeur said. "It's the way it is when you have two guys who can play. It always makes decisions difficult."
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey owns the league's third-best penalty kill (87 percent), while Ottawa ranks 24th (79.0).
2. Senators captain Jason Spezza had a goal and two assists in the October matchup, but he is mired in an 11-game goalless drought.
3. Devils F Stephen Gionta (ankle) could return to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 23.