United Center Showdown: Ottawa Senators Clash with Chicago Blackhawks
As the Ottawa Senators prepare to face off against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center, fans are brimming with anticipation for what promises to be a thrilling encounter. The Senators come into this game with a mixed bag of recent performances, but there's reason to believe they could seize control on enemy ice.
In their last outing on December 24th against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Senators demonstrated resilience and offensive prowess by edging out a victory in overtime. With 5 goals from 26 shots, they showcased an impressive shooting percentage of 19 percent. This kind of efficiency in front of goal could spell trouble for any opponent. Moreover, their goaltending was solid; saving 30 out of 34 shots is no small feat and indicates that they have reliability between the pipes.
However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Senators. Their faceoff win percentage stood at a concerning 41 percent against Pittsburgh – an area that will need improvement if they are to dominate possession and control the pace against Chicago. Additionally, discipline was an issue as evidenced by their penalty minutes totaling up to 14.
Looking back further at their December 22nd game versus Colorado Avalanche reveals more about this team's character. Despite taking more shots (45 compared to Colorado's 39), Ottawa fell short due to powerplay opportunities not being capitalized upon as effectively as their opponents who scored four powerplay goals.
The key takeaway from these past games is that while Ottawa can be lethal offensively and resilient defensively when needed, consistency is where they falter – particularly in special teams play and faceoffs.
Chicago Blackhawks will not make things easy for them either; playing at home gives them an edge which cannot be ignored. However, if Ottawa can leverage its even-strength goal-scoring ability shown in recent games while tightening up on discipline and faceoffs, there’s potential for an upset.
Fans should mark their calendars for February 17th when these two teams collide at United Center in Chicago at precisely 3:00 PM EST. The action can be caught live on ESPN+ or NBCS-CHI channel number 665 for those following from home or anywhere else across the nation – don’t miss what promises to be a captivating showdown!