Senators out to capitalize on Predators' porous defense

The Ottawa Senators will look to make their three-game road trip a winning one as they wrap it up Thursday against the Nashville Predators.

The Senators snapped a two-game skid Tuesday in Columbus with a 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets. Tim Stutzle and Ridly Greig both scored a goal and added an assist. Stutzle leads the team with 22 goals and 51 points.

The 24-year-old winger is also tied with defenseman Jake Sanderson with a team-high 29 assists, and he has points in four of his last five games (three goals, three assists).

Before beating the Blue Jackets, the Senators had lost six of their last eight games. However, the two most recent losses came in overtime.

"I think that we've been playing good hockey," defenseman Tyler Kleven, who netted his first goal of the season Tuesday, said Wednesday. "It's just about being consistent and bringing our game every single game. We got to play a fast, physical game (on Thursday). It's a tough building to play in, and if we go out there and play our style, we're going to have a good chance to win."

Goalie James Reimer, signed by the Senators on Jan. 12, has started in each of the last two games. The 37-year-old has a 2.51 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in those games. Further, he appears to be the top netminder as the team demoted Leevi Merilainen to its AHL affiliate in Belleville on Tuesday, and Linus Ullmark remains out on a leave of absence.

Nashville, which has one of the league's worst defenses, has lost two straight, allowing 12 goals against the Vegas Golden Knights and the Buffalo Sabres.

On Tuesday, the Predators allowed Buffalo to take a 4-0 lead less than five minutes into the second period. Coach Andrew Brunette's team rallied to make it a one-goal game before losing 5-3.

Ryan O'Reilly (two goals, one assist) and Filip Forsberg (one goal, two assists) each had three points. O'Reilly, who has a team-high 47 points and 29 assists, and Forsberg, who ranks second with 39 points, have combined for 15 points over the Predators' last three games.

Nashville's Juuse Saros leads NHL goalies with 38 games played, but the 30-year-old also has given up a league-high 110 goals. He was pulled after giving up the fourth goal Tuesday. According to QuantHockey, Saros' 3.01 GAA is tied for 32nd among NHL netminders who have played in 20 games.

Brunette told reporters Tuesday that the Predators were "lucky" to only be down three goals after 20 minutes Tuesday. He felt his team "eased" into a game against the Sabres.

"At this time of year, when we know these points are so valuable, you can't take any solace in saying you played a good second half of the game," he said. "The game was lost in the first period."

Both Nashville and Ottawa are looking to climb into a playoff spot. The Senators were in last place in the Atlantic Division with 53 points as of Wednesday, but they were just five points behind the Boston Bruins with a game in hand for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

Nashville, which ranked fifth in the Central Division with 50 points entering Wednesday, was three points shy of the San Jose Sharks for the last spot in the Western Conference.

--Field Level Media