OTTAWA - Facing a battle for position in the Senators crease against two of the best goalies in the AHL, the calm and cool Craig Anderson was back on Ottawa ice Thursday for the first time in months.

While Binghamton's Robin Lehner has a league-leading .945 save percentage and Ben Bishop is fifth at .928, Anderson spent the lockout in Florida, working out with goaltending guru Francois Allaire and Vancouver Canucks 'tender Roberto Loungo.

The only games the Senators' No. 1 netminder played were of the charity variety. At the start of the lockout, he looked briefly at overseas opportunities, but then sat back and clung to hope that the NHL would be soon up and running.