Blues at Senators
The Ottawa Senators attempt to remain within striking distance of first-place Montreal in the Atlantic Division when they begin a four-game homestand Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues. Ottawa, which earned points in five of its last six at home (3-1-2), is eight points behind the Canadiens with four games in hand.
The Senators return to Canada's capital after a 1-2-0 road trip during which they scored five goals in each of the first two games before being shut out by Buffalo on Saturday. St. Louis kicked off its five-game road trip in stellar fashion Monday, posting a 2-0 victory at Philadelphia as Carter Hutton made 26 saves en route to his third shutout of the season in the 99th game of his career. Kenny Agostino made his debut for the Blues and provided an immediate jolt to the offense, becoming the 23rd player in 2016-17 to score a goal for the team as he tallied for the second time in 11 NHL games. Paul Stastny collected three goals and two assists over his last four contests for St. Louis, which occupies the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference and trails Nashville by one point for third place in the Central Division.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), TSN5, RDS2 (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE BLUES (26-22-5): Agostino, who scored his first career goal at Florida on April 4, 2014 while with Calgary, was leading the American Hockey League with 60 points in 48 games before being recalled from the Chicago Wolves on Sunday. "You never expect that," the 24-year-old left wing told reporters after tallying in his St. Louis debut. "You learn in this game and in this business that you've always got to be ready. So I'm just happy to get it and happy to be here." Alex Steen is averaging a point per game since the Christmas break, recording seven goals and 11 assists in his last 18 contests.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (27-17-6): Mark Stone scored a pair of goals while Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris recorded one apiece in Thursday's 5-2 victory at Tampa Bay, creating a three-way tie for the team lead. Stone's two-goal performance, which gave him 18 tallies on the season, was his first since Jan. 17 - when he scored twice in a 6-4 triumph at St. Louis. Hoffman also netted a pair in that win and registered eight over his last 11 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Blues C Jori Lehtera recorded an assist Monday, leaving him six points shy of 100 for his career.
2. Ottawa D Erik Karlsson leads the team with 44 points, recording five over two games prior to Saturday's shutout loss.
3. St. Louis G Jake Allen's next victory will be the 76th of his career and move him past Rick Wamsley for eighth place on the franchise list.