Ottawa Senators Regular Season Opener: Out of the Pre-Season & Into the Fire

What a way to start your season. 

Down your first line centre and your top defenseman against your biggest rival.

After tearing through the preseason, playing with a renewed vigour and an extra jump in his stride, Jason Spezza will sit in the press box watching his team start the season, in their home opener no less. Word has it Spezza "tweaked" a groin in practice Wednesday and will miss one or two games as a pre-cautionary measure.

Filip Kuba, the Sens best all around defenseman, a player relied upon to log big ice time and play in all situations, will miss the month of October due to a fractured leg suffered in the teams first practice of the season. This injury comes on the heals of an injury filled 09/10 season in which Kuba appeared in only 53 regular season games. Replacing Kuba's minutes (ATOI of >23:00) will be a challenge, again.

If practice lines are any indication, expect to see Spezza's top line centre position played by seasoned second line centre Mike Fisher, and Fishers slot filled by sophomore forward Peter Regin.

But that's not the end of the changes. As is so often the case, Alfredsson is tasked with bringing extra offense and will be skating with Foligno as well as Fisher, switching Michalek on to the other scoring line along with Regin and Kovalev. Shannon will slide back into the line-up tasked with replacing Regin in the fourth line RW position.

Kuba, injured so early in the preseason, has already been replaced by Campoli in practice, with his position in the D's depth chart being taken up by Brian Lee.

Those are four very big skates to fill and it will require solid team work to overcome the losses. But in the physical game of NHL hockey, injuries are the norm, not the exception, so the players know what must be done.

Lastly, as was expected by most, Leclaire will get the start in nets.

Expect to see a very open game, as Buffalo will no doubt try to rely on Miller to hold down the fort while Buffalo's speedy forwards buzz around the ice.

In order to be effective versus the Sabres, the Sens will have to make the opposition's questionable defensive depth fight for every puck in their own zone, pressuring them with a ruthless forecheck and cycle game.

If Ottawa can dominate physically and force turn-overs, they'll likely win purely as a result of creating more quality scoring chances than the opposition.

PREDICTION - 4-3 OT/Ottawa Win