(Sports Network) - The Senators are off to a slow start this season and aren't expected to have Jason Spezza in the lineup for a third straight game tonight. Given it is the Coyotes in town, they might not need him.
Ottawa looks to extend a five-game home winning streak over the Phoenix franchise Tuesday night at Scotiabank Place.
Owners of just two wins in eight games this year, the Senators were blanked, 3-0, by the Canadiens on Saturday for their third loss in four games. Ottawa was playing on back-to-back nights for a second time this year and have lost both games on the back end.
"We looked a little bit tired, didn't have the jump that we had [Friday night in Buffalo]," said Ottawa head coach Cory Clouston. "They came hard on us and our defense couldn't handle some of the pressure. We had puck possession but we just didn't get pucks to the net like we wanted to and when we did, we hit a couple of post and missed a couple of open nets."
Brian Elliott made 31 saves for the Sens, who went 0-for-3 on the power play and have just four goals in 31 chances this season.
Ottawa is expected to be without Spezza again tonight in the second contest of a four-game homestand due to a groin injury, but he hopes to be back for Thursday's game versus Florida. The Senators will miss his production versus the Coyotes as he has four goals and seven points in four career games against them.
Ottawa hasn't lost at home to Phoenix since Dec. 12, 1998, though the Coyotes did record a home win over the Senators in the lone meeting last year to snap a five-game series losing streak. The Sens have still won eight of the last 10 meetings overall.
This evening's game will mark the second straight night the Coyotes visit a city in which they have had little success in. They dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Canadiens in the Bell Centre last night to stretch their winless streak there to eight games. Phoenix hasn't won in Montreal since Oct. 28, 1996 and is winless in its last 12 games versus the Habs overall.
Kyle Turris did score for the third time in two games after picking up his first two tallies of the season on Saturday versus Carolina.
"I'm really trying to put everything on net, trying to get open," Turris said. "My linemates are playing great and we are feeding off each other, and creating chances. We just have to keep going."
Derek Morris also scored and Ilya Bryzgalov made 26 saves in defeat.
Phoenix, which has dropped back-to-back overtime games and is just 1-2-3 since its season-opening win over Boston in the Czech Republic, will have captain Shane Doan back on the ice tonight after he wrapped up a three-game suspension on Monday for a hit to the head versus the Ducks last Sunday.
Doan is still searching for his first goal of the season and has two assists in four contests. He has five goals and five assists in 17 games when facing Ottawa.