SENATORS (15-8-2) at PENGUINS (15-7-3)
7 p.m. ET; ROOT, RDS2, TSN5, NHL.TV
Senators team scope
Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson will start after taking a leave of absence to be with his wife, who began cancer treatment Nov. 30. Anderson is 12-5-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in 18 appearances this season. Coach Guy Boucher said the rest of his lineup would remain the same. The Senators are trending in a positive direction. They are 5-1-1 in their past seven games after defeating the Florida Panthers 2-0 at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday. The Senators have also been impressive on the road, where they are 6-3-0. Boucher thinks Ottawa's upcoming three-game road trip could be beneficial after playing five of six games at home. "If you ask my wife, maybe not," Boucher said. "But I think there's something about road trips that brings teams together, but if you lose all your games on a road trip, your positives fade away. I think we've had success on the road. Our guys have been really focused and up for the challenge." Forward Mike Hoffman has played a large role in the Senators' recent success with four goals and seven points during a four-game point streak. His 18 points in 23 games has him two points behind defenseman Erik Karlsson for the Senators lead.
Penguins team scope
Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will start a third consecutive game for the first time since goalie Matt Murray returned from a broken hand Nov. 2. Fleury has won his past two starts while stopping 61 of 66 shots. "[The decision to start Fleury a third game] has been impacted by his performance," coach Mike Sullivan said. "We feel as though he's had a couple of strong games in a row and we're hoping he can continue to play at that level for us." Though Fleury will remain in net, Pittsburgh's lineup could look slightly different. Forward Chris Kunitz, who returned from a lower-body injury to join center Evgeni Malkin and right wing Phil Kessel on Saturday, skated at left wing with center Nick Bonino and right wing Bryan Rust during the morning skate. Carl Hagelin replaced Kunitz on Malkin's left. The Penguins' defense has been adjusted lately with defenseman Brian Dumoulin replacing Olli Maatta, who is paired with Trevor Daley, alongside Kris Letang. Pittsburgh will look to sweep its three-game homestand before going on the road for two games. Five of the Penguins' wins have come after trailing entering the third period. Since hiring Sullivan on Dec. 12, 2015, 12 of their 48 wins have been comebacks from a two-goal deficit, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Senators projected lineup
Mike Hoffman -- Derick Brassard -- Mark Stone
Ryan Dzingel -- Kyle Turris -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Zack Smith -- Chris Kelly -- Tom Pyatt
Buddy Robinson -- Curtis Lazar -- Chris Neil
Cody Ceci -- Erik Karlsson
Mark Borowiecki -- Chris Wideman
Dion Phaneuf -- Andreas Englund
Craig Anderson
Scratched: None
Injured: Clarke MacArthur (concussion), Bobby Ryan (hand), Marc Methot (lower body), Frederik Claesson (lower body)
Penguins projected lineup
Conor Sheary -- Sidney Crosby -- Patric Hornqvist
Carl Hagelin -- Evgeni Malkin -- Phil Kessel
Chris Kunitz -- Nick Bonino -- Bryan Rust
Scott Wilson -- Matt Cullen -- Eric Fehr
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Olli Maatta -- Trevor Daley
Marc-Andre Fleury
Matt Murray
Scratched: Steve Oleksy, Jake Guentzel, Tom Kuhnhackl
Injured: Derrick Pouliot (lower body)
Status report
The Senators reassigned goalie Andrew Hammond to Binghamton of the American Hockey League on Sunday. Hammond is 0-1-0 with a 4.50 GAA and .793 save percentage in two NHL starts this season. … Pouliot skated on a fourth defense pairing with Oleksy on Monday.
Who's hot
Karlsson scored the game-deciding goal against Florida on Saturday. He leads Ottawa with 20 points. … Kessel scored twice Saturday to bring his goal total to eight in 25 games. He is third on the Penguins in points (24) and is tied with Malkin for the team lead in assists (16).
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