Sharks vs. Senators Preview: Back in action against Ottawa

The Sharks host the Ottawa Senators tonight for the only time this season at 7:30 p.m. PT. If you won’t be trudging up the steps of SAP Center you can catch the game on CSN-California and/or follow along with us here at Fear The Fin. San Jose will play the Senators for the second time in just a couple of weeks at the Canadian TIre Centre.

San Jose last played way back on Friday night, a 2-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens, to stretch its winning streak to three games. The Sharks won six of their last 10 games before taking a four-day break and getting a rare in-season weekend off. They host the Senators before playing a road/home back-to-back against the Ducks and Hurricanes on Friday and Saturday. From there, it’s a road trip to Eastern Canada.

The Senators are coming off an 8-5 loss to the Penguins; it was about as sloppy as you might imagine. Ottawa actually led in the contest before Pittsburgh stormed back to the take the lead. The Sens’ possession numbers have been anything but inspiring this season, but a solid power play has helped boost Ottawa into second in the Atlantic Division.

That position remains tenuous. The Senators are only a point above the third place Bruins and only two points ahead of the fourth place Lightning. Ottawa has gone 5-4-1 over its last 10 and could use a bit of luck over its next 10 to regain a grip on its division.

As always the player to watch for in Ottawa is Erik Karlsson. The Brent Burns/Karlsson matchup is one of the most exciting in the NHL and one I’ll keep an eye on all night long. Former Anaheim Duck Bobby Ryan is another player worth keeping an eye on and ... uh ... is Daniel Alfredsson still there? Who else plays in Ottawa?

Marcus White will be at the morning skate today, so we’ll have an update on who’s in and out for the Sharks tonight. My guess is we’ll see Martin Jones between the pipes.