Category: Sports News

Even in the heart of the Christmas holidays, a Saturday matchup in the Battle of Ontario will rarely be a Silent Night.

The Ottawa Senators are in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs for the first meaningful get-together since Toronto defeated the Sens in six games during last spring’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The game will mark a pair of milestones for the Senators. Veteran Claude Giroux will play in his 1,300th career game, while hot on his heels, just 1,299 behind, is Xavier Bourgault, who finally suits up for his first NHL game.

Bourgault was called up from the Belleville Senators on Saturday morning. He's had a fine start to his AHL season with 27 points in 32 games, which is more than he had all of last season when he put up 26 points in 61 games.

As for Giroux, gigantic round numbers like 1,300 will always conjure up discussions about Hall of Fame candidacy. With 372 goals and 1,141 points, his numbers are already reminiscent of Daniel Alfredsson's, and given that he's on pace for over 50 points this season, G doesn't look at all like a player ready to retire.

The Senators enter the day just one point behind the Florida Panthers for the final Eastern wild card spot and just two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic.

Things are a bit more dire for the Leafs. They enter play with 37 points, five out of the wild card and six out of third place in the East.

Going back two years to the day, the Sens have had the Leafs' number in the regular season, winning the last five regular-season meetings.

Toronto's veneer of confidence began to crack this week when they fired assistant coach Mark Savard and replaced him days later with another former NHL star in Steve Sullivan. Savard ran Toronto's power play, which was shockingly bad (and still is), ranking dead last in the NHL. Ottawa's power play is now fourth-best in the league.

Here's how Travis Green and Craig Berube will align their chess pieces on Saturday.

Senators projected lineup

Brady Tkachuk -- Tim Stutzle -- Fabian Zetterlund

David Perron -- Dylan Cozens -- Drake Batherson

Michael Amadio -- Ridly Greig -- Claude Giroux

Xavier Bourgault -- Stephen Halliday -- Nick Cousins

Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot -- Jordan Spence

Nick Jensen -- Nikolas Matinpalo

Linus Ullmark

Leevi Merilainen

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Bobby McMann -- Auston Matthews -- Max Domi

Matias Maccelli -- John Tavares -- William Nylander

Dakota Joshua -- Scott Laughton -- Steven Lorentz

Mathew Knies -- Nicolas Roy -- Nicholas Robertson

Morgan Rielly -- Philippe Myers

Jake McCabe -- Troy Stecher

Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Chris Tanev

Joseph Woll

Dennis Hildeby

By Steve Warne

Read more Ottawa Senators news and features at The Hockey News:

Top Ottawa Senators Prospect Suits Up Again At World Juniors
Josh Norris: 'I Really Felt Like (Ottawa Fans) Had My Back, Even When I Was Injured'
NHL Player Fined For Cross-Checking Senators Star Tim Stutzle In The Face
Ottawa Senators Have A Soft Spot For Their Tough GuySenators Announce Their Latest Addition To Ring Of Honour

Steve Warne is the Ottawa Senators site editor at The Hockey News. Steve has covered the Senators since day one, first as Sports Director for Rogers Radio in Ottawa on AM 1310 and FM 105, then as the long-time host of the morning show at TSN 1200 radio, the Sens' flagship station. Steve is also the owner and host of the popular Sens Nation Podcast.

Follow Steve on Twitter/X @stevewarnemedia

You never forget your first.

As the Ottawa Senators take on the Leafs in Toronto on Saturday night, Sens prospect Xavier Bourgault finally gets a chance to play in his first NHL game.

Bourgault has waited four and a half years for this moment, which is a long time for a first-round NHL draft pick. The L'Islet, Quebec-born 23-year-old is one of only five first-round picks from 2021 (Tyler Boucher, Chaz Lucius, Corson Ceulemans, Chase Stillman) who haven't played in at least one NHL game.

So Saturday night will remove him from that list and become the memory of a lifetime, especially when you consider how he got here.

Performance-wise, he got here with 27 points in 32 games this season, already surpassing his total (26 points in 61 games) from all of last season in Belleville, impressing the organization enough to earn a call-up with the club on Saturday morning.

But how he literally got here, travel-wise, will be part of the memory as well.

"So I went back home (for Christmas) actually in Quebec City," Bourgault told Sens host Jackson Starr after Saturday's game-day skate. "Then I drove to Toronto because of the game last night in Toronto. I drove eight hours, I think. So, it was pretty crazy. I drove back after the game, in the storm, back to Belleville. Then I got the call (from Ottawa) and drove right back to Toronto for (Saturday's) game.

“Just grateful for the chance tonight. It wasn’t easy since going pro, so just exciting for me now. It’s been a long road for me.”

Former Belleville head coach David Bell was one man who saw this coming back at training camp. He knew that Bourgault had more to offer than we saw last season.

"I think part of it last year, which is what he struggled with, was that he was hurt," Bell said after Sens rookie camp. "He had a hip flexor that was sore. He had a wrist that was sore.

"He's very dynamic and can shift east-west when he's healthy, and he wasn't able to do that last year. And as a shooter and passer with a sore wrist, he couldn’t do that. He was handcuffed quite a bit. Now he’s healthy, and you’re seeing a little bit more of what he was in junior — a dynamic, game-breaking type of player."

Bourgault will be paired on a line on Saturday with veteran Nick Cousins and centre Stephen Halliday. He and Halliday have played a lot together in Belleville the past two seasons. So after some holiday time, Bourgault is glad to follow it up with some Halliday time.

"We've been playing together in Belleville. Halliday is a great playmaker. I'm used to his game too, so it's fun to come back on his line here in Ottawa."

With injuries up front this season, the Senators have taken serious looks at other Belleville players like Olle Lycksell, Hayden Hodgson, and Arthur Kaliyev. Now the Sens have decided to kick the tires on Bourgault to see what he looks like at the next level. 

Sens GM Steve Staios obviously liked what he saw from Bourgault during his brief time in Edmonton. When Staios came to Ottawa and moved on from winger Roby Jarventie, he dealt him to the Oilers for Bourgault and fellow forward Jake Chiasson.

After that mediocre 2024-25 season, Staios still opted to re-sign Bourgault, a player that his Hamilton Bulldogs came up against in the 2022 Memorial Cup. Bourgault had seven points in four games at that tournament.

Given the long road to get here, literally and figuratively, there's zero chance Xavier Bourgault ever forgets his first, especially when it's a Saturday night Battle of Ontario on a national TV stage in Toronto.

Read more Ottawa Senators news and features at The Hockey News:

Top Ottawa Senators Prospect Suits Up Again At World Juniors
Josh Norris: 'I Really Felt Like (Ottawa Fans) Had My Back, Even When I Was Injured'
NHL Player Fined For Cross-Checking Senators Star Tim Stutzle In The Face
Ottawa Senators Have A Soft Spot For Their Tough Guy
Senators Announce Their Latest Addition To Ring Of Honour

Steve Warne is the Ottawa Senators site editor at The Hockey News. Steve has covered the Senators since day one, first as Sports Director for Rogers Radio in Ottawa on AM 1310 and FM 105, then as the long-time host of the morning show at TSN 1200 radio, the Sens' flagship station. Steve is also the owner and host of the popular Sens Nation Podcast.

Follow Steve on Twitter/X @stevewarnemedia

The three-day holiday break was a much-needed hiatus and reset for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had won just one of their previous 10 games and are 3-5-4 in the month of December.

And it also appears to have offered space for some injured Penguins to heal and, ultimately, rejoin the team. 

Centers Blake Lizotte and Evgeni Malkin - who were both placed on injured reserve back on Dec. 9 - both skated on Saturday. Malkin skated on his own prior to team practice, and Lizotte was a full participant in practice, including slotting in at fourth-line center during line rushes. 

Both players have been sorely missed in the Penguins' lineup, as the team is 1-5-4 in the 10 games that they have missed Malkin and 1-5-3 in the nine since Lizotte went down.

With Lizotte appearing primed for a return - potentially, on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks - it will be a welcome thing for a team that has struggled defensively as of late.

"I think it starts with just that energy he plays with," head coach Dan Muse said. "I mean, it's contagious. And I think he's able to, because of the way he plays, a lot of times, he's creating momentum for our team. Whether it's the way he tracks and strips, or just stays on pucks, blocks shots... he does a lot of little things there that go a long way and that are greatly appreciated in the locker room."

5 Things The Penguins Should Ask For This Holiday SeasonThe Pittsburgh Penguins could use a boost right now - and there are some things that they should add to their holiday wishlist to help them get back in the thick of the playoff race

Lizotte also figures to rejoin a fourth line that was creating a lot of momentum for the Penguins prior to his injury, as they are able to hone a lot of the details on both sides of the puck to generate chances and help dictate play.

"The way they're able to create momentum in different ways," Muse said. "Sometimes, it's blocking a shot in the d-zone, their ability to get in on the forecheck... and I think just being able to recover pucks off the forecheck, also create off the forecheck. There's an energy there when they're going. They're also a line that they'll start in the d-zone a lot - and in the o-zone - which is always a big benefit."

Muse said there is nothing new to report on Malkin and that he is "status quo." 

Promising Goaltending Tandem Leading Way For WBS PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins may be struggling at the NHL level, but they have two promising goaltending prospects waiting in the wings and dominating the AHL

- The Penguins' lines and pairings largely remained the same despite the team's uneven effort in a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 23. Lizotte slotted back in for Hayes, but the top-nine remained intact - as did the defensive corps:

Forwards
Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha - Tommy Novak - Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty - Ben Kindel - Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar - Lizotte - Noel Acciari
(Danton Heinen, Kevin Hayes)

Defensemen
Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak - Kris Letang
Ryan Shea - Jack St. Ivany
(Ryan Graves-Connor Clifton)

Goaltenders
Stuart Skinner, Arturs Silovs

Takeaways: Penguins' Push Comes Up Short, Maple Leafs' Stars Come Up BigAfter a dramatic 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> hoped to carry some of that momentum into their final game before the holiday break on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

- The holiday break probably came at just the right time for the Penguins, as their December hasn't quite gone the way that they had hoped. Despite their recent struggles, though, they still only remain three points out of a playoff spot, but they are also just three points out of the basement of the Eastern Conference.

The break, hopefully, gave them a chance to reset and build off of some of the momentum they seized during their shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 21 and during some of their finer moments in the loss against the Leafs.

"Hockey is weird that way," Justin Brazeau said. "When I first came back, the Dallas game and then the Anaheim game, for 59 or whatever it was minutes of it, was pretty good hockey. I thought we were doing a lot of good things, and stuff like that [last-second goal] can kind of take the confidence and stuff out of the group."

Takeaways: In Storybook Fashion, Penguins Snap Eight-Game Skid On Crosby's Historic NightThe Pittsburgh Penguins earned a much-needed win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night - and Sidney Crosby made some history along the way.

Brazeau also said that, despite the recent stretch of games, the locker room is still very much intact and focused on getting back to the game that worked for them earlier on in the season. 

"There's no panic setting in," Brazeau said. "I think we all think we can get back to the way we were playing. And in a lot of those games, too, they're losses, but we were up by three or four goals going into the third. So, we were obviously doing things the right way leading up to that, we just kind of maybe took the foot off the gas a little bit. I think that's a mental thing, too, where it's like, it happens one game, and then the next game, it happens again, and it's kind of like, 'oh boy, here we go.'

"I think the locker room's been great. It helps when you have guys like Sid and stuff around who have kind of seen it all throughout their careers. They've seen the highs and the lows, and I think it's about staying as even-keel as possible."

Crosby Reaches Milestone For Second Consecutive GameThe big milestone may have come for <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' captain Sidney Crosby on Sunday against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a>, when he surpassed Mario Lemieux <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/breaking-sidney-crosby-breaks-mario-lemieux-s-franchise-record-to-become-penguins-all-time-leader-in-points">to become the Penguins' all-time leader in points</a>.&nbsp;

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

The Buffalo Sabres hope to resume their winning ways after the Christmas holiday break against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center on Saturday, but will have to do it without Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres team captain travelled to Sweden to visit his fiancee over the break, and is making his way back to Buffalo. Head coach Lindy Ruff indicated it was doubtful that he would play against Boston, but that he should be back for the club’s upcoming three-game road trip starting in St. Louis on Monday. 

Bowen Byram, who had three points and the game-winning overtime goal in Ottawa on Tuesday moved to the top pairing with Mattias Samuelsson at the club’s morning skate on Saturday and quarterbacked the first power-play unit. Jacob Bryson and Zach Metsa will play against the Bruins, and defenseman Ryan Johnson has been recalled from AHL Rochester.  

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Forward Jason Zucker skated with the club for the first time since being injured in Calgary on December 8, the last time the Sabres lost. The veteran winger indicated that he is unsure how long it will be before he returns to the lineup, and that he might not travel with the club next week, but said in jest that there is no hurry. 

 "They got rid of the dead weight,” Zucker said. “ "It's been fun to watch, obviously terrible watching, but it's been great to see the guys playing really well throughout the lineup, everyone from goaltenders on out, are playing really well."

In a bit of a surprise, the Sabres will not be starting Alex Lyon – winner of six straight –, but will instead go with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen between the pipes. Luukkonen started in the 3-1 win in New Jersey on December 21, but is .500 (5-5-1) on the year. The Bruins did not skate on Saturday, do to travel restrictions because of the holiday break, and according to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, backup Joonas Korpisalo will start for the Bruins.   

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo