Just nine days after being swept in a three-game miniseries by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers can return the favor by sweeping the Ottawa Senators for their fourth straight victory tonight at Rogers Place. Its the seventh and final game of a seven-game homestand that so far has seen the Oilers go 3-3-0.<\/p>\n
This is the seventh of nine meetings between the Oilers and Senators this season, who will meet twice in Ottawa in April. The Oilers are 6-0-0 against the Senators this season, the only team in the North Division they have yet to lose to. This opens a back-to-back set for the Oilers, who will be in Vancouver tomorrow night.<\/p>\n
Matt Murray gets the nod for the Senators, while Mike Smith gets the start for the Oilers.<\/p>\n
Keys To The Game:<\/strong><\/p>\n Edmonton:\u00a0<\/strong>Don’t relent. The Oilers dominated on Wednesday night from the opening puck drop until the conclusion of the game. In the words of the Senators, they were embarrassed by their performance. The Oilers will need to be ready to roll tonight, as Ottawa will certainly come out flying. Edmonton is the better team, but they need to play their game and be ready to roll from the opening puck drop. Tonight will be a much tougher test, the Oilers can’t relent.<\/p>\n Ottawa:\u00a0<\/strong>Play a smarter brand of hockey. I won’t question Ottawa’s effort, because I do believe they fight hard every night. Issue is, the Senators make too many mistakes, and those mistakes crushed them Wednesday night. They need to play a more physical, smart style of hockey. Don’t let Edmonton get setup in the zone and stop taking penalties in the neutral and offensive zones. The less mistakes, the better,<\/p>\n Players To Watch:<\/strong><\/p>\n Edmonton:\u00a0<\/strong>Tyler Ennis remains in the top-six tonight on the second line. The Oilers are in desperate need of one of their skilled left wingers to step up and post some offensive numbers. Ennis didn’t get rewarded on Wednesday night, but he played a relatively strong game and created chances. He’s been getting close, and it feels like he’s on the brink of breaking out. Could tonight be the night?<\/p>\n Ottawa:\u00a0<\/strong>Thomas Chabot has the tough task of defending against the Oilers top-line on a nightly basis. He’s also the Senators’ best defenseman when it comes to transitioning the puck from defense to offense. If the Senators are going to create anything against the Oilers tonight, they’ll need a much better transition game than they had on Wednesday. It starts with Chabot.<\/p>\n