Penguins at Senators
The Ottawa Senators hope to have their All-Star back in the lineup when they begin a five-game homestand against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Bobby Ryan, who leads Ottawa with 37 points, was a late scratch for the team's 2-1 victory at Buffalo on Tuesday due to muscle cramps but is optimistic about playing in the meeting with Pittsburgh. "Feeling better," he told the Ottawa Sun. "Spent a lot of time on the (trainer's) table, trying to loosen up (on Wednesday). ... If I don't play, it's not because we didn't do everything over the next 36 hours."
The Penguins are coming off their third win in four games, a 4-1 home triumph over Detroit on Wednesday. Blake Comeau returned from a 20-game absence due to a wrist injury and matched Patric Hornqvist with a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who had lost five of their previous seven at Consol Energy Center (2-3-2). Pittsburgh posted a 3-2 home triumph over Ottawa on Dec. 6 as Evgeni Malkin forged a tie late in the second period with his second goal of the game and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff snapped it with 1:50 remaining in the third.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), TSN5, RDS2 (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (31-15-8): Mark Arcobello's stay in Pittsburgh was a short one as the center was claimed off waivers by Arizona on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Connecticut native recorded two assists in 10 games with the Penguins after being acquired from Nashville in identical fashion. Arcobello, who began the campaign with Edmonton, will become the third player in NHL history to skate for four teams in one season when he makes his debut for the Coyotes.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (21-22-9): Robin Lehner is expected to make his seventh consecutive start in place of Craig Anderson, who remains sidelined with a hand injury. Lehner improved to 2-4-0 since Anderson went down by stopping 35 shots on Tuesday, including all 21 he faced in the second period. Kyle Turris is looking to break out of his goal-scoring slump as the center has tallied only once in his last 14 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh All-Star G Marc-Andre Fleury had his shutout streak halted at 165 minutes, 5 seconds on Wednesday.
2. Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson is fifth in the league among defensemen with 13 goals, three behind leader Oliver Ekman-Larsson of Arizona.
3. The Penguins trail the New York Islanders by one point for first place in the Metropolitan Division.