The Senators are in Boston on Tuesday night, and for the second straight night, they have a chance to play the spoiler role.
As the Ottawa Senators close out their 2023-24 season, they're getting a first-hand look at the level they need to get to someday.
Last night, it was the New York Rangers, who thumped the Senators 4-0 and clinched the NHL's President's Trophy in the process.
Tonight, it's a visit to Boston to face the Bruins, who are 2-0 against the Sens this year and trying to clinch the Atlantic Division title.
In the big picture, for a young underachieving team like the Senators, a couple of games where they butt heads with the best isn't a bad way to take stock of things as they head into another all-too-long summer.
Meanwhile, the Bruins control their own destiny. They're one point ahead of Florida for the Atlantic Division title, and each team has one game left to play.
But it's fair to wonder if either team truly wants that title. The Atlantic winner's "reward" is getting Tampa Bay in round one. The Atlantic's second-place team gets the Leafs, who have recently struggled in the playoffs against both Florida and Boston.
Regardless, this will be a true divisional tournament featuring the Lightning, Bruins, Panthers and Leafs. So, no matter what, the team that surfaces from the Atlantic next month will have beaten two excellent teams.
That's why the Senators would be wise to expect the Bruins at their best for their finale, especially on their fan appreciation night. Boston has won both meetings this season, winning 3-2 in overtime in January and 6-2 last month on a David Pastrnak hat trick.
The Senators and Bruins both took the morning off following losses last night. The Bruins fell 2-0 to the Washington Capitals, who can now grab the second wild card spot with a win tonight, even though their goal differential is 10 goals worse than Ottawa's.
Zack Ostapchuk may get into the lineup tonight after Boko Imama left last night's game early.
Senators projected lineup
Brady Tkachuk -- Shane Pinto -- Drake Batherson
Mathieu Joseph -- Ridly Greig -- Claude Giroux
Boris Katchouk -- Jiri Smejkal -- Parker Kelly
Zack Ostapchuk -- Zack MacEwen -- Dominik Kubalik
Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub
Jakob Chychrun -- Jacob Bernard-Docker
Thomas Chabot -- Erik Brannstrom
Anton Forsberg
Joonas Korpisalo
Bruins projected lineup
Danton Heinen -- Pavel Zacha -- David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand -- Charlie Coyle -- Jake DeBrusk
Jakub Lauko -- Morgan Geekie -- Trent Frederic
James van Riemsdyk -- Jesper Boqvist -- Pat Maroon
Hampus Lindholm -- Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk -- Parker Wotherspoon
Kevin Shattenkirk -- Andrew Peeke
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman
After tonight, that closes the book on a seventh straight season without a playoff appearance. Some players will be heading for the World Hockey Championships next month, but beyond that, the Senators' next meaningful game will be six months away.
However, with all the off-season work that needs to be done in Ottawa, the Sens will continue to be one of the league's top newsmakers.