GameDay: Ottawa Senators face brilliant goalie they gave away, Minnesota Wild

SENATORS (18-15-2) at WILD (22-10-4)

Sunday, 8 p.m. Xcel Energy Center

TV: TSN5 Radio: TSN 1200

Odds: OTT +120 MIN -165

THE MOMENTUM SWING

Through the Christmas break, the Senators were tied with the Boston Bruins for the best record in the National Hockey League in December, with an 8-2-1 record.

Putting aside setbacks in their past two games (4-2 Saturday in Winnipeg was the latest), it has been a big turnaround from a season ago, when head coach D.J. Smith was fired with his team in the middle of a six-game losing skid.

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After Sunday’s game in Minnesota, the Senators play three more road games to finish their lengthy nine-game stretch away from home: Jan. 2 in Dallas, Jan. 3 in St. Louis and Jan. 7 in Detroit.

The Wild, which could get centre Joel Eriksson Ek — he has missed the past 11 games — back Sunday, has won its past seven matchups with the Senators dating back to March 30, 2017, outscoring Ottawa 33-16 overall in that span.

GOOD TRADE, BAD TRADE

In the category of trades that failed miserably for the Senators (and there are a few), goaltender Filip Gustavsson has been brilliant for the Wild.

Remember Gustavsson?

The Senators made a terrific trade with Pittsburgh early in 2018, getting Gustavsson, defenceman Ian Cole, a 2018 first-round pick (Jacob Bernard-Docker) and a 2019 third-rounder (used in a deal to move up and pick Mads Sogaard) in exchange for centre Derick Brassard, defenceman Vincent Dunn and a 2018 third-rounder.

Gustavsson went 10-13-3 with a 3.12 goals-against average and .905 save percentage in 27 games in two seasons with Ottawa (2020-22).

In July 2022, the Senators traded him to the Wild for Cam Talbot, who played only 36 games for Ottawa while also battling injuries. The next summer Talbot signed with Los Angeles as a free agent.

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Gustavsson is 16-5-3 this season. He ranks third in the NHL with a .922 save percentage, he’s tied for third in wins and he’s fourth with a 2.26 goals-against average. He’s allowed two or fewer goals in 16 of his 24 starts.

THE RISE OF MARCO

Marco Rossi was a star with the Ottawa 67’s.

In his second of two Ontario Hockey League seasons in Ottawa, the centre put up 120 points (39 goals, 81 assists) and was picked ninth overall by the Wild in the 2021 NHL draft.

It’s taken a while, but he’s starting to show what he’s capable of in the NHL. After putting up 40 points a season ago, Rossi already has 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists), including 12 points in his past 14 games.

THE ROSTERS

OTTAWA

Forwards

Tkachuk/Stutzle/Giroux

Greig/Norris/Batherson

Cousins/Pinto/Gregor

Reinhardt/Ostapchuk/Gaudette

Defencemen

Chabot/Jensen

Sanderson/Hamonic

Kleven/Bernard-Docker

Matinpalo

Goaltenders

Sogaard/Merilainen

MINNESOTA

Forwards

Boldy/Rossi/Zuccarello

Johansson/Eriksson Ek/Hartman

Foligno/Gaudreau/Trenin

Shore/Khusnutdinov/Jones

DEFENCEMEN

Broden/Faber

Chisholm/Spurgeon

Merrill/Bogosian

GOALTENDERS

Gustafsson/Fleury

INJURY REPORT

OTTAWA

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

MINNESOTA

D Jacob Middleton (upper-body, long-term IR); W Kirill Kaprizov (lower-body, day to day).

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