Los Angeles Kings will need to prepare for these 3 players on the Senators

The Los Angeles Kings have secured three out of a possible four points in their first two games to open the season. They began with a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres and then ended up with an overtime loss to the Boston Bruins.

Both games were on the road and they continue their road trip on Monday against the Ottawa Senators. This is a franchise that has struggled as of late after missing the playoffs in seven straight seasons before this current season.

However, the Kings can't afford to take this team lightly and these are three players in particular that they will need to pay extra attention to.

Los Angeles Kings will need to prepare for these 3 players on the Senators

Linus Ullmark

Linus Ullmark was with the Boston Bruins for the past three seasons before he was traded a few months ago to the Ottawa Senators. The Senators would actually trade their starting goalie from last year to the Bruins as part of the trade as they believe Ullmark is an upgrade at the position.

The early results have been positive as Ullmark has a save percentage of .914% and a goals against average of 2.58 in two games. It will be interesting if the Senators stick with Ullmark for this game or give him a game off but if he is playing, he will create some challenges for the Kings.

Brady Tkachuk

One of the best forwards that the Senators have is Brady Tkachuk, who led the team in points last year with 74 after scoring 37 goals. This was the third straight season that Tkachuk has had 30 or more goals.

Through the first two games, Tkachuk doesn't have a goal yet but does lead the Senators in shots with six and also has two assists. The Kings can't afford to give him clean shots in this game.

Jake Sanderson

While the Senators have struggled the past few years, the only positive is that they have had a number of high draft picks. One of those draft picks is defensemen Jake Sanderson, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Sanderson has been a key part of this defense since the 2022-23 season and this season he is averaging 26:12 on ice in the first two games. He also has an assist but the stat that really stands out is blocks as he already has 11 this season, which is tied for third in the NHL.

However, among the five players with 11 or more blocks, the other four have played three games this season.