Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN5, ROOT (Pittsburgh), RDS2 (Ottawa)
PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Senators 2

Oddsmakers currently have the Penguins listed as -150-moneyline favorites versus the Senators, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

OTTAWA — It would come as no surprise to see Matt Murray in goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins when they visit the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Murray, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since Dec. 28, was activated in time to serve as backup to Marc-Andre Fleury for Pittsburgh’s 5-2 loss in Washington on Wednesday. Fleury, who gave up a tone-setting goal to Alex Ovechkin in the first minute, stopped 25 of 29 shots on the night, his first loss in four games since Murray went down.

Murray was off to an exceptional start this season with a 13-3-1 record and a 2.18 goals against average.

Meanwhile, the Penguins (26-9-5) remain only average on the road, where captain Sidney Crosby says they need to “pick up their intensity a little bit” to improve on record of 8-7-3.

“I think that on the road you have to have that little bit of extra desperation,” Crosby said after the loss to the Capitals. “At home you kind of get that boost from your crowd. On the road you have to manufacture that within the group. I think we have to understand that we’re going to get a team’s best in their home rink. If we can elevate our desperation and our intensity, we’ve got to make sure we do that.”

The Senators (21-14-4) haven’t played since Sunday, when they were outshot 38-18 but still beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-3 at home.

The Senators haven’t defeated the Penguins since a 4-3 overtime win in Ottawa during their miraculous run to the playoffs on April 17, 2015. They lost all three games between the teams in the 2015-16 campaign and were 8-5 victims last month, on Dec. 5 in Pittsburgh, their only meeting so far this season.

The Senators had a 4-2 lead near the midway mark of that one before the Penguins stormed back, with Bryan Rust capping the victory by putting the finishing touches on a hattrick with penalty shot and empty net goals in the third.

“When you get those types of leads you can’t sit back on them,” Senators winger Mark Stone said Wednesday. “They’re going to just keep pushing. When you get leads, especially against the best teams, you have to continue to play your game and make them come 200 feet on you.

“We don’t want to trade chances. I think when you watch teams that trade chances with them, they lose almost every night. You look at their roster and it’s pretty deep.

We know that the only way to beat them is a structured game.”

Mike Condon will be making his 17th consecutive appearance in goal for the Senators. Condon came on in relief of Craig Anderson in Pittsburgh, stopping the only two shots he faced in 7:08 of the third period.

“We saw that we can skate with them last time,” said Senators coach Guy Boucher. “I think halfway through the game, we were exactly where we wanted to be. Then we got into a you know what contest with them. I don’t think we want to do that again. They’ve got too much firepower on every line. If you’re trying to be the best offensive team against a team like that you’re going to lose. Want to make sure we’re much tighter, especially in the middle of the ice.

“Hopefully we’re able to reproduce what we did in the first half of that game.”

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New Jersey Devils vs. Ottawa Senators
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 17, 2016
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New Jersey), Sportsnet360 (Ottawa)
PREDICTION: Senators 3, Devils 2

Oddsmakers currently have the Senators listed as 125-moneyline favorites versus the Devils, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators lost their first-line left winger and third-leading scorer when Mike Hoffman was suspended by the league for two games Friday afternoon.

Ottawa will be hoping a guy like Bobby Ryan can pick up the slack when the New Jersey Devils visit Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night for the first of three games between the teams this season.

Hoffman, who has nine goals and 21 points in 28 games, was disciplined for cross-checking San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture in the back of the head Wednesday. That game also saw Ryan, a four-time 30-goal scorer, end a slump at 16 games with his fourth of the season.

“It was a big one I guess, it had been awhile,” said Ryan, one of a number of players whose productivity has taken a hit under the system of coach Guy Boucher. “We’re all frustrated by it, when you’re not scoring, but I think you guys talk about it and write about it and put much more emphasis on it. I don’t worry about it. As long as we’re winning, I don’t care. If I score one goal for the rest of the year and we make the playoffs, and make a run, I don’t care one bit.

“That being said, you hope there’s a domino effect and you can contribute.”

While the Senators (16-11-3) have taken just three of the available 10 points from their last five games, Boucher was pleased with what he saw in the 4-3 shootout loss to the Sharks.

Mike Condon will get the start in goal again on Saturday, while the blue line will be bolstered by rugged Mark Borowiecki, the NHL’s leader in hits who is coming off a two-game suspension of his own.

Meanwhile, the Devils (12-11-6) are also struggling to get some traction. Their 5-2 loss to St. Louis on Thursday was their fourth in a row, a span that has seen them outscored 19-5.

New Jersey’s difficulties have come on the road, where it is 4-10-4 and the only team in the conference with double-digit losses as the visitors.

“It’s a big concern, I mean we’re here to win,” said Devils goalie Cory Schneider. “We’re here to win games and make the playoffs and be relevant here in the standings, and when you go on losing streaks it’s hard to recover. It’s really hard to play catch-up later in the year with three point games, playing against your division all the time.

“It’s really difficult to make up ground, so we have to find a way to put the brakes on the skid and go on a streak of our own. It’s tough to lose three, four, five in a row and survive after that.”

Past history between the clubs favors the Devils, who were 3-0-0 versus Ottawa last season while outscoring the Senators 14-7. New Jersey has won its last three games at Canadian Tire Centre and is 6-2-1 against the Senators since the 2013-14 season.

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Ottawa Senators vs. Anaheim Ducks
When: 4:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 11, 2016
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California

TV: 4 p.m. ET, TVAS, TSN5 (Ottawa), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
PREDICTION: Ducks 3, Senators 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. — All four principals in one of the most significant trades in both teams’ history likely will take the ice in the same game for the first time when the Anaheim Ducks meet the Ottawa Senators on Sunday at the Honda Center.

Senators winger Bobby Ryan returns to the city where he began his NHL career to face fellow wingers Jakob Silfverberg, Nick Ritchie and Stefan Noesen, now property of the Ducks.

Ryan was Anaheim’s first selection and the second overall in the 2005 NHL draft. The native of Cherry Hill, N.J., joined the Ducks in 2007 and scored at least 30 goals in four consecutive seasons between 2008 and 2012. But managing the salary cap meant trading Ryan in July 2013 for Silfverberg, Noesen and Ottawa’s first draft choice in the 2014 draft, the 10th overall selection, which Anaheim used on Ritchie.

Since arriving in Canada’s capital, Ryan has yet to have the kind of offensive success he enjoyed playing on the same line as center Ryan Getzlaf and right winger Corey Perry. Now 29, Ryan accumulated as many as 23 goals for the Senators in 2013-14 and 56 points last season. Both totals fall short of his highs with the Ducks.

This season, Ryan has only three goals and eight points after 23 games. He sustained a bone bruise on one of his fingers Nov. 17 against the Nashville Predators. He missed five of the ensuing nine games and before returning to the lineup Wednesday night in San Jose.

Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion considered making a trade if Ryan were unavailable for an extended period.

“It does take pressure off, because when Bobby first got hurt, we didn’t know the extent of it,” Dorion told the Ottawa Citizen. “For awhile there, we thought it could be long-term. I made a few calls, but we’re very happy with our depth and the guys we’ve called up have done a good job, whether it’s up front or on defense. I’m still making calls, but with Bobby back, there might not be as much need immediately.”

Meanwhile, Silfverberg found a home on the right side of the Ducks’ most consistent line, which includes center Ryan Kesler and left winger Andrew Cogliano. Silfverberg owns a reputation as a solid two-way forward as the 26-year-old Swede ranks third on the team with eight goals and leads Anaheim with a plus-9 rating.

Ritchie, who turned 21 on Monday, is on pace to finish with 18 goals as a left winger after being shuttled between the Ducks and their AHL affiliate in San Diego last season. Ritchie has played with Getzlaf and Perry on the first line and on the third line as a physical presence with skill.

Noesen, promoted from San Diego on Wednesday, made his season debut that night against the Carolina Hurricanes and scored his first NHL goal in his third career appearance. In San Diego the previous night, Noesen scored the tying goal with 9.3 seconds left in regulation, as the Gulls earned a 4-3 overtime victory against Bakersfield.

“It’s definitely surreal,” Noesen said of the timing. “I’m happy to be here.”

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Ottawa Senators vs. San Jose Sharks
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TSN5, RDS (Ottawa), CSN California (San Jose)
PREDICTION: Sharks 3, Senators 1

Oddsmakers currently have the Sharks listed as 200-moneyline favorites versus the Senators, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

The San Jose Sharks should be well-rested since playing their last game. One of their star players, however, may be on the sideline for a little longer.

Logan Couture’s status is up in the air for Wednesday night, when the Sharks play host to the Ottawa Senators.

San Jose (15-9-1) is wrapping up a stretch in which it plays seven of eight at home with the only road game down the coast in Los Angeles. The Sharks won six of seven coming into the Wednesday contest after topping the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 Friday.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, the team was given a rare weekend off before hitting the ice again for practice on Monday. The newspaper reported that several players, including Couture, took in Sunday’s NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills.

That outing came one day after Couture underwent a minor surgical procedure to have one of six screws removed from his ankle, the Mercury News reported. He had the hardware put in while undergoing surgery in October 2015 on a broken leg.

“I tried to put my skate on (Tuesday) and it was still a little sore, so we’ll see in the next couple of weeks,” he told the Mercury News. “I’m sure it’s going to feel a lot better once it settles down. But should be good. Good to go (Wednesday).”

Couture scored six of his nine goals over the past nine contests, and he ranks third on the club with 16 points.

On Tuesday, the club recalled forward Kevin Labanc from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. Labanc, 20, has two goals and two assists in 12 games with the Sharks this season.

Sharks goaltender Martin Jones was selected as the league’s third star of the week Monday, and he could get the nod against Ottawa. Jones surrendered only three goals while recording three wins last week, pushing his total this season to 13 victories.

Jones won in his only career appearance against the Senators while with the Kings in 2013.

Ottawa (15-9-2) kicked off a four-game road trip with an 8-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

“You could tell, really, from the first period that it was going to be one of these games,” said Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, who tied a career high with four points (goal, three assists). He leads the team with 18 assists and 24 points.

Karlsson has four goals and five assists in nine career games versus San Jose.

Three Senators — Ryan Dzingel, Mark Stone and Kyle Turris — are tied for the team lead with four goals on the road.

Turris is the club’s top goal-scorer overall with 11, including three game-winners. Stone set a season high with three points (goal, two assists) in the loss to the Penguins. Dzingel, though, has not scored in his past four games away from Canada’s capital city.

Citing coach Guy Boucher, the Senators tweeted Tuesday night that Mike Condon will get the start in goal Wednesday. In two carer games (one start) versus the Sharks, Condon is 0-1-0 with a 4.06 goals-against average and a .857 save percentage.

Condon, who has two shutouts among three wins and a 1.77 GAA in five games since joining the Senators in a trade with Pittsburgh on Nov. 2, may see plenty of playing time in the near future. The Ottawa Sun reported that starting goaltender Craig Anderson will not be with the team over the next three games in California. Anderson will again be with his wife, who is undergoing throat cancer treatment.

The team recalled Andrew Hammond from AHL Binghamton on Tuesday. He has surrendered six goals in two NHL games this season.

Ottawa is 5-2-1 in its past eight games overall.

The Senators and Sharks meet for the second and final time this season Dec. 14 in Ottawa.

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Ottawa Senators vs Pittsburgh Penguins
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 5, 2016
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN5, RDS2 (Ottawa), ROOT (Pittsburgh)
PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Senators 2

Ottawa was 26th in the league in goals against (2.94) and 29th on the penalty kill last season en route to missing the playoffs, but it entered Sunday ranked ninth (2.36) and eighth, respectively, in those categories while sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division. “It comes down to team defense, and the guys are buying in,” Senators goaltender Mike Condon told reporters after posting a shutout against Florida on Saturday. The Penguins pose a difficult challenge after scoring 11 times in two consecutive victories, including Saturday’s 5-3 triumph over Detroit. Captain Sidney Crosby leads the way for the Penguins with 26 points – seven of which have been recorded in his last four contests.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (15-8-2): Craig Anderson, Ottawa’s No. 1 netminder, is expected to rejoin the team after missing the last two games to be with his wife Nicholle, who is undergoing cancer treatments. The veteran has posted a 12-5-1 record, 2.20 goals-against average and .930 save percentage while Condon, who was acquired from Pittsburgh on Nov. 2, has been just as solid at 3-1-1 with a 1.66 GAA and .944 save percentage when he has been called upon. Defenseman Erik Karlsson has recorded three points in the last three games to push his team-leading total to 20 – two better than Mike Hoffman.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (15-7-3): The defensive pairing of Ian Cole and Justin Schultz has given the offense a major boost over the last three games, as the blue-liners have combined for three goals and six assists. While Crosby has continued to pile up points, fellow superstar Evgeni Malkin is warming up with a goal and seven assists during a five-game point streak. Malkin is one point behind Crosby for the team lead and Phil Kessel notched a pair of goals in Saturday’s win to push his point total to 24, but the Penguins’ power play has struggled over the last seven games, going 1-for-23.

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The team says in a statement Wednesday that the anonymous donor also been discharged.

Melnyk’s post-transplant recovery will require weekly follow-up with his transplant team. He’s been transferred to a facility that will provide daily rehabilitation services.

More than 500 people offered to be a donor for the billionaire owner following a public appeal by the team. Melnyk was suffering end-stage liver failure due to an undisclosed disease of the organ.

Doctors performed the transplant on May 19. Liver transplant recipients typically stay in hospital for up to two weeks, then take up to six months to recover fully.

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Ottawa at Toronto
When: 7:30 PM ET, Sunday, April 5, 2015
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, City, TVA
PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 3, Senators 2
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Oddsmakers currently have the Senators listed as 200-moneyline favorites versus the Maple Leafs, while the game’s total is sitting at 5½.

In their last action, Toronto was a 2-1 loser on the road against the Bruins. Bettors on Boston at -295 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (3) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

Toronto wasted a sensational performance by James Reimer, who made 49 saves in Saturday’s 2-1 shootout loss in Boston and has turned aside 89-of-91 shots in his last two starts. Jonathan Bernier should be back in net attempting to halt a string of seven straight defeats, including a 4-3 setback at Buffalo on Wednesday in which the Maple Leafs coughed up a two-goal lead. The Maple Leafs, who have dropped 23-of-24 on the road, will be going for their first three-game home winning streak since Dec. 13-16.

Team record: 29-43-7
Toronto is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto’s last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games at home
Toronto is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing Ottawa

In their last action, Ottawa was a 4-3 winner at home against the Capitals. Bettors on Ottawa at -125 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (7) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.

Ottawa continued its penchant for dramatic victories with its second straight overtime win, this coming courtesy of Kyle Turris’ breakaway tally after the Senators blew a three-goal lead. Stone has scored three times in the last five games to boost his season total to 21 while former Maple Leaf Clarke MacArthur has points in four of five contests since returning from a stint of nearly six weeks on the disabled list. Captain Erik Karlsson collected a pair of assists Saturday to give him 14 points in his last 13 games.

Team record: 40-26-12
Current Streak: won 3 straight games.
Ottawa is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Ottawa’s last 9 games
Ottawa is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Ottawa’s last 13 games on the road

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Minnesota 0 2 0 0-3

First Period-None.

Second Period-1, Minnesota, Dumba 5 (Granlund), :52. 2, Minnesota, Dumba 6 (Stewart, Granlund), 8:05. 3, Ottawa, Zibanejad 16 (Ryan, Wiercioch), 8:33. 4, Ottawa, Ryan 16 (Hoffman, Karlsson), 11:48.

Third Period-None.

Overtime-None.

Shootout-Ottawa 2 (Ryan G, Zibanejad NG, Turris G, Stone NG, Hoffman NG), Minnesota 3 (Koivu G, Parise NG, Pominville G, Niederreiter NG, Coyle G).

Shots on Goal-Ottawa 10-7-11-5-33. Minnesota 12-13-11-2-38.

Goalies-Ottawa, Hammond. Minnesota, Dubnyk. A-19,054 (17,954). T-2:39.

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Fans, many wearing red and waving Canadian flags, paid their respects to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent as part of a poignant ceremony prior to the Senators’ game against the New Jersey Devils.

Glow sticks were handed out to fans as they entered the arena, and they stood in place of candles while the home of the Senators hosted a public, national vigil.

It was the first hockey game in Ottawa since Wednesday’s attack on Parliament Hill and the National War Memorial, where Cirillo was shot and killed. Vincent died in a hit-and-run attack Monday near Montreal. The Devils won in overtime 3-2.

“Tonight we have an opportunity to stand united as one,” public address announcer Stu Schwartz said.

Members of Cirillo’s division joined local first responders inside the circle of 40 players from both teams. With photos of Cirillo and Vincent on the arena video screens, the sellout crowd of 19,266 stood for a moment of silence that lasted 42 seconds.

“To stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those guys, it really shows our respect,” Devils defenseman Damon Severson said. “I think as players of a sport, any sport, the people who work with our police task force, it shows them we really do appreciate that.”

What followed was a coordinated singing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “O Canada” between fans in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, led by Ottawa anthem singer Lyndon Slewidge. The emotional rendition of Canada’s national anthem gave way to cheering, as fans — some with Cirillo’s name written on the back of their jerseys — remained on their feet and applauded until well after the military and police personnel left the ice.

“There’s a sense that you can move forward, I guess, and you hope that that’s what people take out of it,” Senators winger Bobby Ryan said earlier in the day.

The Senators were supposed to play the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night but the game was postponed due to the shooting attack. It will be played on Nov. 9.

In Toronto, the Leafs took part in the coordinated ceremony before facing the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens did the same before facing the New York Rangers.

“Hockey Night In Canada” opened the proceedings with a video montage featuring scenes from Ottawa, including the National War Memorial. References to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Thursday speech to Parliament gave way to the message that Canadians “unite around this game because we always unite around the game.”

Devils coach Pete DeBoer took some time Saturday afternoon between meetings to walk from his team’s downtown hotel to the war memorial.

The Dunnville, Ontario, native was glad to be a part of Saturday night’s ceremony.

“Any time you can get together when something like this happens, it’s for the good,” DeBoer said. “The healing process starts.”

Downtown at the site of the attack, hockey was a part of the makeshift memorial. Amid the flowers, candles, stuffed animals and hand-written thank-you notes was a black Canadian Olympic hockey jersey.

Along with DeBoer, Devils defenseman Eric Gelinas also visited the site. Gelinas is from Vincent’s hometown of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.

Gelinas and his Devils teammates eventually went on to a 3-2 overtime win over the Senators. But as much of North America watched, they stood almost arm-in-arm during the pregame ceremony in an apparent nod to a line in Harper’s speech when he said: “In our system, in our country, we are opponents. But we are never enemies.”

“I thought that was a great touch,” said Dax Lanham, a 44-year-old Ottawa native who wore a white Canadian Olympic jersey to the game. “They’re not all Canadians. They’re Americans, they’re Europeans. It’s not just Canada and the U.S. uniting, it’s the whole world uniting around one big circle.”

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“I’m not talking about anything ahead of Game 5,” the Pittsburgh captain said when asked about a potential Eastern Conference final against the Boston Bruins.

But after the Penguins’ 7-3 victory Wednesday night, it’s hard to imagine Crosby and his teammates aren’t starting to think about facing the Bruins, who are up 3-0 over the New York Rangers.

Jarome Iginla and James Neal each scored twice, Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis added goals, and Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves. Down 2-1 after the first period, the Penguins scored twice in a 40-second span early in the second and added four goals in the first 10 minutes of the third.

Milan Michalek, Kyle Turris and Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa. Senators goalie Craig Anderson was benched after Pittsburgh’s sixth goal, and Robin Lehner finished the game.

“There was a sense like, ‘OK, this might take as many shots as we can muster to break this guy.’ And fortunately, we kept on that mindset,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “It was a matter of, ‘We are going to have to fire anything and everything we can at this guy to get one by him.'”

Game 5 is Friday night in Pittsburgh.

“I know what we’re going to do,” Alfredsson said. “We’re going to go out and play one hell of a game. That doesn’t worry me at all. We never quit and that’s not going to stop now. We know the odds are against us in every way, but we never quit and that’s going to continue.”

But Alfredsson also conceded that the Senators faced long odds of rallying against the top-seeded Penguins.

“Probably not,” Alfredsson said, according to NHL.com. “[Pittsburgh’s] depth and our play right now … it doesn’t look too good.

“When you look at what we did, it wasn’t good enough. Does that mean [Pittsburgh] was good? Did we make them good? Who really cares? From our point of view, we didn’t manage the puck [well], we didn’t execute our passes, and subsequently, we got punished in the neutral zone. We turned way too many pucks over and gave them some freebies. It would have been nice to have the lead for a little bit longer, but now we’re back on our heels again. We didn’t shut them down when it matters.”

The 40-year-old captain was seen retrieving the puck at the end of the game, NHL.com reported, but Alfredsson insisted that the puck was a memento for his family and not a sign that he was considering retirement at season’s end.

Senators coach Paul MacLean didn’t take a single question after the game. Instead, he held up the scoresheet and said: “I think everything’s right here. It’s 7-3. See you in Pittsburgh. We’re going to Pittsburgh and we’re coming to play. Have a good night.”

The Senators, coming off a double-overtime victory Sunday night in Game 3, opened the scoring on Michalek’s short-handed goal at 2:29 of the first period. With defenseman Sergei Gonchar in the penalty box, Alfredsson fed the puck up the middle to a streaking Michalek, who broke through the defense and beat Vokoun low on the glove side for Ottawa’s second short-handed goal of the series.

It was the Senators’ first lead of the series. It wouldn’t last.

Neal tied it with 5:04 left in the period, picking up the loose puck in the slot and putting it in the back of the net. Turris put Ottawa back in front off a rebound with 3:45 left in the first.

Pittsburgh tied it early in the second when Kunitz got behind the defense and went in alone to beat Anderson. Less than a minute later, Anderson gave up a rebound on Kris Letang’s shot that landed on the tape of Iginla’s stick to make it 3-2.

Neal started the third-period flurry with a power-play goal at 1:59. Dupuis added a short-handed goal at 8:07, Crosby followed at 8:39, and Iginla scored on a power play at 9:53.

Alfredsson finished the scoring with a late power-play goal for his 100th career playoff point.

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