The Ottawa Senators will take on the stingy Dallas Stars

On By Littum

SENATORS (19-15-2) at STARS (22-13-1)

Thursday at 20 ET, American Airlines Center in Dallas.

TV: TSN5 Radio: TSN 1200

Odds: Ottawa +173 Dallas -217

THE TARGET SITUATION

Still without Linus Ullmark, whose back strained in a Dec. 22 game against Edmonton, the Senators had three netminders – Anton Forsberg, Mads Sogaard and Leevi Merilainen — on the ice at Wednesday’s practice in Dallas.

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Sogaard was sent back to Belleville on Thursday.

Forsberg, who was injured in a pregame warmup in mid-December, is scheduled to play Friday in St. Louis. Merilainen, who was very good in a 3-1 win at Minnesota on Dec. 29, will start against Dallas.

“It’s good to have Forsy back on the ice, he’s getting closer,” Senators head coach Travis Green told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson on Wednesday. “He has been (practising) for a few days. You have to have depth in the goalkeeper position.”

FITS WELL FOR TKACHUK

The switch to playing alongside Ridly Greig and center Shane Pinto has been a good one, according to Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.

Tkachuk had been with Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux for a 4-2 loss in Winnipeg on Dec. 28, but Green decided to mix it up before the game in Minnesota. (Greig scored a goal.)

“There are so many great players on our team,” Tkachuk said. “I’ve played with Pints ​​and Rids before. Two good guys, two great players. It’s been a lot of fun. We had a test last match and we passed with flying colours. We are looking to build more on that. It says a lot about our squad and the group we have that anyone can play with anyone on any given night.”

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Jake Oettinger Dallas Stars
Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars tracks the puck after making a save in a Dec. 29 game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Photo by Michael Reaves /Getty Images

JAKE AND BAG

The Stars were really good through the 2024 calendar year with a record of 52-25-6 (110 points). There are plenty of good players on the roster, but goalkeeper Jake Oettinger is a big reason for the success.

A towering goalie at 6-6 and 224 pounds, the 26-year-old Oettinger had 41 wins in 2024, second only to the 43 of Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck.

So far this season, Oettinger, a first-round draft pick of the Stars in 2017, is 17-9-1 with a 2.38 goals-against average.

The Stars have allowed a league-best 91 goals, with backup goaltender Casey DeSmith (2.37 goals-against average) also making a big contribution.

THE ROSTERS

OTTAWA

Extenders

Tkachuk/Pinto/Greig

Gaudette/Stutzle/Batherson

Cousins/Norris/Giroux

Reinhardt/Ostapchuk/Gregor

Defenders

Chabot/Jensen

Sanderson/Hamonic

Kleven/Zub

Goalkeepers

Merilainen/Forsberg

DALLAS

Extenders

Robertson/Hintz/Dadonov

Benn/Duchene/Johnston

Back/Bourque/Stankoven

Hryckowian/Steel/Blackwell

DEFENSE PEOPLE

Heiskanen/Lyubushkin

Lindell/Lundqvist

Harley/Dumb

GOALKEEPERS

Oettinger/DeSmith

DAMAGE REPORT

OTTAWA

D Artem Zub (IR, broken foot); F Michael Amadio (concussion, out); F David Perron (undisclosed length of time, upper body); G Anton Forsberg (day-to-day, lower body); G Linus Ullmark (back, didn’t make the trip).

DALLAS

F Tyler Seguin (hip surgery, could be out for season); F Mason Marchment (upper body, week to week).

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