The Ottawa Senators are entering Tuesday’s game holding the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, having won five of their last six games.
Their playoff positioning will be put to the test as they begin a grueling nine-game road trip, eight of which are against Western Conference teams, starting with a matchup against the Seattle Kraken. The trip will continue with games against the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, and St. Louis Blues, before concluding with an Eastern Conference showdown against the Detroit Red Wings on January 7.
The Senators have missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, with their last postseason appearance coming in 2017 when they lost in double overtime of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After a rough 8-11-1 start to the season, Ottawa has surged back into the playoff conversation with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games. However, their playoff spot remains fragile, with the Philadelphia Flyers tied at 32 points, having played one more game, and the New York Rangers just one point behind, with both teams having played the same number of games. The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders are also only one point back, with two additional games played, adding to the competitive playoff race.
During their current three-game winning streak, the Senators have allowed just three goals, thanks in part to the stellar play of offseason acquisition Linus Ullmark. The 31-year-old goaltender has posted a 5-0-1 record in December, with a .956 save percentage and a 1.31 goals-against average, a sharp improvement from his .878 save percentage in November.
“He looks like the goalie we envisioned,” said Senators head coach Travis Green. “He’s got lots of confidence, and any time your goalie is playing well, it gives your team a lot of confidence as well.”
Ullmark, however, credits the team’s collective effort, stating, “I don’t want to take credit for what we’re doing as a team. I haven’t been the one scoring goals, my job is to stop pucks.”
On the road, the Senators have a 5-7-1 record this season, which they will need to improve during this challenging stretch. Ullmark mentioned the team’s goal is to secure “50 percent of the 18 points” available in their upcoming games.
Green emphasized the importance of consistency, stating, “We talk about our game, win or lose, how we’re playing, good or bad, how we need to play to have success. Even though we’re winning, we need to make sure we understand why. Just because you’ve won a game or two games or whatever it is, you have to keep doing the things that got you the wins in the first place and that starts (Tuesday night).”
