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LGD: Sens-ationally inconsistent opponents
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Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski / USA TODAY Sports
Cat Silverman
Jan 10, 2018, 12:53 EST
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In their last game, Toronto dropped the ball in the third period with a quick comeback from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Now, they’ll look to turn things over and end their playing week on a high note, before getting a nice long vacay until January 16th.
Luckily, they’ll be facing the bastion of inconsistency in the Ottawa Senators – so if luck has its way, Toronto could walk away with a solid win.

THE LEAFS

Roman Polak remains in the lineup, and that’s that.
According to Left Wing Lock, expect Andersen to get the nod, which is awesome. He’s great, and we didn’t expect to see McElhinney anyway.
Nylander has been on fire lately, so look for more of that tonight. On the other hand, the GOAT is in for Dom Moore, and hopefully he’ll prove that he deserves a little more longevity in the NHL soon.

THE SENATORS

The Matt Duchene trade hasn’t done what was expected to this point, which was push the Senators over the edge and help them return to dominance this year. They’ve been struggling all season long; partially due to bad luck, but also due to some tangible problems with their play altogether.
Their defensive lineup is inherently weak, with Erik Karlsson serving as their only real star power and the rest of the defenders struggling to keep up in a Guy Boucher system.
Craig Anderson, their expected starter, has also been absolutely miserable. He’s got a sub-.900 save percentage through 31 games with a .414 quality start percentage, and he’s got six Really Bad Starts on the year already (for reference, he’s never had more than 10 RBS in a season; he’s currently on pace for 12).
That being said, their offensive lineup remains stellar, with an array of star power that really gels when they do manage to find luck on their side. They won’t have Bobby Ryan in the lineup due to a recent hand injury, but they still have Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, and Matt Duchene… just to name a few. That’s a pretty stacked top six.

NOTES

  • I don’t really understand what’s going on in Ottawa. I know I’ll get a lot of heat for saying that luck could help the Leafs win, but I honestly don’t know what else to say; in theory, the Senators should be able to put up a decent fight. They just haven’t been doing that much this year, which is bizarre. Apparently, a lot of that is on their defense, but that could be said about Toronto, too – so with little tangible evidence that the Senators actually deserve to be as bad as their record, I don’t have a better prediction than this.
  • The Roman Polak argument is getting a bit tiresome at this point, as much for the fans as it is for everyone else. It’s still a little unclear why the team keeps using him when he clearly, from a statistical and a systems standpoint, has little of value to offer the team – yet here he is, midway through the season, and still considered an untouchable. As we see Cody Franson off to the minors in Chicago, though, unable to stick with yet another NHL club, it has to be considered that Polak perhaps offers enough in the way of veteran guidance that he’s making up for at least part of his poor play on the ice; it’s not enough to justify his position in the lineup, but it could explain why a coach like Babcock is so adamant to keep him around.
  • After yet another poor start to the season, Freddie Andersen is back in business. Whatever adjustments he’s made since the first few weeks, they’re perfect – and he’s in a position to continue thriving against the Senators, although their offense could prove a tough test.

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