There are four games on Monday’s NHL schedule, including one Canadian team in action. Here are some storylines we’re watching.
Senators begin tough road trip
After going 5-1-1 in their last five contests, the Ottawa Senators begin a tough four-game road trip on Monday.
First stop: the Pittsburgh Penguins. (They’ll head West after that, visiting the Sharks, Kings and Ducks.)
The is the first meeting between these two clubs this season. Backup goalie Mike Condon is coming off an impressive 2-0 win over the Panthers Saturday night, registering his second shutout of the season. But Craig Anderson will return to the crease Monday night after taking a personal leave to be with his wife, Nicholle, as she began cancer treatment.
Anderson is 12-5-1 this season with three shutouts, and currently ranks seventh in save percentage (.930) and sits in the middle of the pack with a 2.20 goals against average.
In front of him, Senators forward Mike Hoffman is back to his usual scoring ways. The winger has tallied 11 points in seven games since returning from a brief two-game absence due to an undisclosed injury. He is currently riding a four-game point streak, including his first career hat trick on Nov. 29 against the Sabres (see the video, above).
Can Penguins continue their scoring spree?
As for the home team, look for Penguins captain Sidney Crosby to add to his league-leading goals total and pull away from Jets rookie Patrik Laine for sole possession on the goals leaderboard. (The two are currently tied with 16 goals, but Crosby’s higher assists total gives him the leg up in the standings.)
Like Hoffman, Crosby is also riding a four-game point streak—his second longest such streak this season after the opening 2016-17 with a point in six straight contests.
As a whole, the Penguins have been on a scoring spree. One look at Pittsburgh’s recent record and you’ll find a team whose offence is clearly firing on all cylinders with 28 goals in their past six games and a whopping 11 markers in the past two. (Four of those games featured four or more Penguins goals.)
Veteran netminder Marc-Andre Fleury will take the crease for Monday’s matchup after winning two straight to start the month of December. Fleury is 8-5-3 this season, compared to Matt Murray‘s 7-2 record.
Can Columbus keep rolling?
Don’t look now, but the Columbus Blue Jackets are on a roll.
The club has won its past three contests and four of its past five, tallying three or more goals each victory during that time.
The Blues Jackets’ power up front was on full display Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes, firing almost 60 shots at netminder Mike Smith for a team record. The Coyotes pushed them a shootout, but Columbus prevailed 3-2.
The two clubs will meet again Monday, and it could be another high-powered affair.
Captain Nick Foligno is leading the way offensively with nine goals and 21 points. (Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg also have 21 points.)
The Blue Jackets have quietly climbed to fifth place in the NHL with 32 points (good for third in the Metropolitan Division) and are just one point behind the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins.
