Ottawa vs San Jose: The Senators shouldn’t be written off yet

San Jose had a good trip to Montreal, where they crushed the Canadiens 5-0. Now Bob Boughner's team goes further, to Ottawa. Will the Sharks be able to outplay the Senators as well? There are several options to consider.

We shouldn't expect any big things from the Senators tonight: the team is still in rebuilding mode. However, D.J. Smith's team will still win their games. They have already taken two. They defeated Toronto 3-2 on their home ice in back-to-back games. They also beat Dallas, who played the third away game in a row, with the same score, also back-to-back. All in all, the Senators know how to turn uncomfortable circumstances for their opponent to their advantage. In the club's current situation, this is already a huge success for him.

The Canadiens are in really bad shape right now, but is that the Sharks' problem? They came to do what they had to. It was 5-0 with three unanswered pucks by the end of the first period. Jonathan Dahlen, 23, made his first double. Meier, Labanc and Erik Karlsson contributed goals each. Logan Couture made two assists.

This was the second consecutive success for the Sharks at the start of the new season. Bob Boughner's team also handled the Canadiens in the first, but on home ice. Winnipeg was beaten 4-3.

• Ottawa: Austin Watson, Brady Tkachuk, Colin White, Matt Murray are not playing;
• San Jose: Evander Kane, Nikolai Knyzhov, Jeffrey Truchon-Viel are not playing. Alexander Barabanov is questionable.

The last time San Jose won in Ottawa was in 2016. The Senators celebrated 3 victories over the Sharks in a row, winning 5 of the last 6 matches.

There is no way that San Jose will beat the third Canadian team in a row, and even in regulation time! Seriously, the Senators showed their readiness and ability to get results in the opening games of the season. A home game against San Jose is definitely not a case where Ottawa should be written off.

Prediction: Ottawa will not lose.

Betting options:

• Ottawa Not To Lose for 1.70;
• Handicap Ottawa (0) for 1.88;