New York Islanders v Ottawa Senators Live

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Given the fact that neither the Ottawa Senators nor the New York Islanders got off a good start in 2009-10, both teams can be expected to show up highly motivated in order to clinch the first regular season victory this year. Thus, the New York Islanders will make their way to Ontario where they will take on the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at 11 p.m. GMT.

Being at the bottom of the league in 2008-09, the Islanders were fairly active during the off-season. In fact, the franchise focused on improving through the NHL entry draft and was involved in several trades which ultimately led to an additional first round pick. Thus, GM Garth Snow selected John Tavares with their first overall pick and used their other first rounder to sign defenseman Calvin de Haan. Moreover, the Islanders acquired veteran goaltenders Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron from the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers respectively. Nonetheless, their preseason results were not particularly encouraging as they dropped five of their seven games in September. Even though the Islanders lost their first regular season game, it should be noted that the team managed to force the defending Stanley Cup champions from Pittsburgh into an overtime showdown.

Unfortunately, despite these promising additions it is rather unlikely that the New York Islanders will be a match for the high-scoring Senators. Most importantly, multiple NHL All-Star Alexei Kovalev, Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo are eager to underline their importance in Ottawa’s offense after being signed during the off-season.  Thus, the team of head coach Scott Gordon will have to play exceptionally well to avoid starting the season with a losing streak.

You can watch all games of the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.