The Ottawa Senators continued their five-game homestand tonight against the Washington Capitals, looking to win their second straight game. The Caps were without the injured Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, and Connor Brown, as well as the suspended Evgeny Kusnetsov, so this was a golden opportunity for Ottawa to take advantage of a depleted roster, much like several opponents did to them last season.
Prior to the puck drop, the team honored former owner Eugene Melnyk, who passed away in March, with a video tribute and a banner raised to the stands. A classy tribute to the man who, for all of his faults, bought the franchise back in 2003 when it was on the verge of bankruptcy, and gave them a chance to provide us with a team we could be proud of until the end of the 2016-17 season.