Ottawa has more games to play before this one than St. Louis does. The Senators hosted Nashville on Saturday and play in New Jersey on Monday, so they come home for the Blues on no rest while St. Louis will have been off since the Columbus game. As of this weekend Ottawa was 3-1-0, with road wins in Toronto and Boston and a 2-1 home win over Philadelphia. The only loss was 5-3 in Detroit, the night after the Boston game. That's the same kind of back-to-back spot they're in on Tuesday.
The Senators got that start while short on defense. Jake Sanderson, their No. 1 defenseman, reaggravated an injury and left the opener in Toronto after 4:29 of ice time. He was sent back to Ottawa for tests and has missed games since, though he was called day-to-day as of Saturday. Artem Zub hasn't played yet this season but is close, and he was seen skating at a morning skate. If 1 or both of them are back for Tuesday, the Senators' defense looks a lot more like the group that was supposed to start the season.
The forward news cuts both ways. William Eklund has an ankle injury that doesn't need surgery but is expected to keep him out about 2 months, which is a real hit to Ottawa's skill up front. To help cover it, Ottawa picked up Andre Burakovsky for a 6th-round pick. He's a 2-time Stanley Cup winner who had 33 points in 75 games with Chicago last season and was set to debut against Nashville. By Tuesday he'll have a game or 2 with his new team.
Puck drop at Canadian Tire Centre is 7:30 PM ET. The questions that decide it are simple. Does Ottawa have its legs on the second night of a back-to-back, does Sanderson make it back, and can the Blues build on the Columbus comeback instead of going back to the 3-game skid before it? The schedule favors St. Louis. Ottawa's results so far say the Senators are the better team right now.