The Ottawa Senators will try to halt Alex Ovechkin and the sizzling Capitals
Capitals (29-10-5) at Senators (22-18-3)
A HOMECOMING FOR CHYCHRUN
Jakob Chychrun will face the Senators for the first time since being dealt to the Washington Capitals on July 1 in exchange for veteran defenceman Nick Jensen.
Chychrun, who suited up for 94 games with Ottawa after being dealt here in March 2023 from the Arizona Coyotes, has been having a standout year with the Caps.
He has 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 39 games this season.
Those 12 goals are more than the 11 goals all the Senators’ blueliners have contributed this season.
The 26-year-old Chychrun will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is writing himself a ticket to score big on his next deal. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Caps decided to keep him because he has fit in well with Washington.
Chychrun has been on the ice for 44 of Washington’s even-strength goals this season and is plus-17 while averaging 20 minutes and 44 seconds of ice time per game.
The Caps are coming off a 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
A STRONG ADDITION
By the same token, Jensen has brought a valuable presence to the Ottawa blueline and has helped stabilize the second pairing with Thomas Chabot.
We’ll have to see on Thursday if Chabot is OK to play after taking a puck in the face against the Islanders on Tuesday night, but the expectation is he will play. Jensen, 34, has two goals and 16 points with a plus-15 rating in 43 games with Ottawa this season.
“Philosophically, you go through an off-season, and I talked to you about balancing out the roster and how that might look,” said Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager. “And I’ve always been fond of Nick’s game and followed him for a while.
“In your mind, you feel like this should be a good fit and then it’s nice to see it in action on a nightly basis. The consistency of that pair has been really solid.”
The Senators were 2-1-0 against the Caps last season.
ROSTERS
OTTAWA
Forwards
Tkachuk/Norris/Batherson
Giroux/Stutzle/Gaudette
Cousins/Pinto/Greig
Highmore/Ostapchuk/MacEwen
Defence
Sanderson/Zub
Chabot/Jensen
Kleven/Matinpalo
Goaltenders
Merilainen/Forsberg
WASHINGTON
Forwards
Protas/Strome/Ovechkin
McMichael/Dubois/Wilson
Raddysh/Eller/Frank
Duhaime/Dowd/Mangiapane
Defence
Sandin/Carlson
Fehervary/Roy
Chychrun/van Riemsdyk
Goaltenders
Thompson/Shepard
INJURIES
Ottawa
F Michael Amadio (concussion, has resumed skating); D Jacob Bernard-Docker (high-ankle sprain, six weeks); D Travis Hamonic (knee, four weeks); F David Perron (upper body, has resumed skating); F Noah Gregor (lower body, out for a lengthy period); G Linus Ullmark (back, week-to-week); F Cole Reinhardt (upper body, no update).
Washington
G Charlie Lindgren (upper body); LW Sonny Milano (upper body); RW T.J. Oshie (back); F Nicklas Backstrom (hip).
