Caps @ Senators 11-23-2009 Preview

Washington Capitals (13-10; 31 points) @ Ottawa Senators (11-9; 25 points):
Caps Game #24, Road Game #12, NHL Game #331

Scotiabank Place, Kanata, Ontario, Canada, 7:37 pm. Washington TV: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Radio: WFED 1500-AM. Ottawa TV: Rogers Sportsnet East. Radio: CFGO 1200-AM.  Canadian National TV: RDS (French).  NHL Center Ice: Rogers Sportsnet East and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic feeds.

Tonight the Caps stay up north of the border when they head on over to visit the Ottawa Senators.  This is the first time the Caps and Senators have met this season and last year, the teams split the season series with the home team winning all four games.  The Senators are wrapping up a five game homestand tonight and have won their last three games in a row.  Their latest win came on Saturday night when they downed the Buffaslugs 5-3.

What The Natives Are Saying:

(Com)Post.  Times.  Caps.com.

Neutral Views:

NHL.com.  AP Wire.

Open Source Intelligence:

Ottawa Citizen.  Ottawa Sun: done this before, off-ice activities.

What Do We Expect Tonight?:

As the Caps begin the mid-season slog through the schedule, they will have to find ways to motivate themselves.  It shouldn't be too hard to come up with motivation when you're trying to get out of a rut where you've lost three of your last four games.  The Senators are completing a stretch where they've played nine of their last ten games at home so with six of their next seven games coming on the road, you know that the Senators want to finish things off right at home before heading out on the road.  Senators goalie Pascal Leclaire, who has backstopped the current Ottawa winning streak, is day-to-day with a lower body injury and is expected to miss tonight's game though Brian Elliot has a .932 save percentage in his last two games for the Senators.  Overall, the Senators are a better team than they were last year and it is never easy for the Caps in the Canadian Capital.  Tonight shouldn't be any different.

Caps Nut Official Prediction:

Caps 2
Senators 3
Winner by Spezza
(9-14 on the season)