The Detroit Red Wings’ last trip to Ottawa changed the course of their season. The Red Wings visit the Senators under very different circumstances on Saturday afternoon.
Detroit headed to Ottawa in February on the fringes of the playoff race. Back-to-back losses to the Senators convinced general manager Steve Yzerman to go into sell mode at the trade deadline and the Wings’ streak of missing the postseason eventually extended to seven seasons.
“After last year, we just want to put our best foot forward,” forward Andrew Copp said. “It’s two teams who feel like they’re on the rise and feel like they’re on the cusp of becoming a playoff team every year. There will be some battles, for sure. We want to play a good hockey game. We’re trending in the right direction right now and feel good about our game.”
The Red Wings and Senators are both riding three-game winning streaks in their early-season matchup. Detroit defeated Tampa Bay, Columbus and Pittsburgh during that stretch.
Second-year coach Derek Lalonde is focused on the next opponent but isn’t looking back at what happened last season.
“It’s a team that has drafted longer and higher than us and have done a real good job of it.” he said. “That’s a real good team. You go through that lineup, it’s scary, and they’re starting to play like it now. It’s just one more real good challenge for us.”
The Red Wings’ offense has been humming along, led by Alex DeBrincat, who was acquired in an offseason deal with the Senators.
DeBrincat scored 27 goals in his lone season with Ottawa after producing 41 with Chicago the previous season. He’s already racked up five of Detroit’s 19 goals this season along with three assists. He contributed two goals and an assist in a 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.
“We have so many options, so many shooting threats, that it’s hard for them to cover all of them,” DeBrincat said.
The Senators have collected wins over Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Washington by a combined score of 16-5.
Josh Norris, who underwent shoulder surgery in January and appeared in only eight games last season, scored two goals in the 6-1 triumph over the Capitals on Wednesday.
“It’s been a long road and some hard days but we’re finally here,” he said. “I felt I settled right in and it felt like I was just playing another hockey game. It was fun. I just tried to treat it like a normal game.”
It wasn’t just another game for his teammates, who were thrilled to get him back in the lineup.
“We were just trying to wait for the game to come to us and he just did what he normally does,” said Drake Batherson, who set up Norris’ second goal. “He did what he gets paid for and just puts it in the back of the net. I’m super pumped for him and his family. I know how excited he was. He was just happy to play, let alone get two (goals).”
Ottawa could be without defenseman Artem Zub on Saturday. He was struck on the side of his head by an Alex Ovechkin shot during the third period on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media