When the Ottawa Senators entered the NHL’s 4 Nations break, they had lost three consecutive games, so most people felt the break came at a good time. It was a chance to rest, regroup, and heal from some key injuries.
Long-term, the break certainly helped a player like Brady Tkachuk, allowing him to showcase his skills on hockey's biggest stage — a championship game in a best-on-best tournament. However, in the short-term, the break didn’t benefit the Senators in their quest to end a seven-year playoff drought this spring.
Performance-wise, they emerged from the break on Saturday night looking rusty and sloppy in a 5-2 loss at home to the Montreal Canadiens. Health-wise, they were worse off than when the break began two weeks earlier.
Noah Gregor returned, but centres Josh Norris and Shane Pinto remained sidelined with injuries sustained just before the break. Meanwhile, Tkachuk was injured in a game on Monday after sliding into Sweden’s goalie, Samuel Ersson. He eventually left the game and didn't return, which suggests that he either played through or aggravated the injury during Thursday night’s title game against Canada.
Head coach Travis Green is unsure about the timeline for Tkachuk who did not dress for Sunday’s skills competition. Green was asked on Saturday night if the captain would return in time for Wednesday’s home game against the Winnipeg Jets.
“I hope so,” Green told the media.
When directly asked about the injuries, Green agreed that the absence of Tkachuk, Norris, and Pinto had an impact on Saturday’s performance. But given the circumstances, other players needed to step up.
““Yeah, (the injured players) are big parts of our team,” Green said. “When three of your top players, your most skilled players (are out), I think it showed as far as our play with the puck. We need other guys to be on top of their game. And I didn't think we were on top of our game throughout our lineup.”
Green added that it wasn’t a lack of preparation that led to Saturday’s rusty performance, despite the limited practice time this week.
“I thought we had one of our best practices of the year (on Friday), but it's different. It's hard to mimic game speed. And it wasn't like their team just passed the puck around us either. I thought it was a bit of a choppy game both ways. And we had a couple of gifts that we gave them. And we had some looks that we didn't connect on either.”
The “gifts” include a pair of turnovers by Drake Batherson. There were several turnovers, but Batherson’s unfortunately led to Montreal goals. Linus Ullmark, who also participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off, had a rough night too and was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 15 shots.
This marks Ottawa’s third losing streak of four games or more this season. After the first two, they not only managed to bounce back but went on impressive runs, perhaps an indication the group is maturing. In the past, a four-game slide might easily spiral into a longer slump - the kind that routinely crushes souls, breaks wills and destroys seasons.
Here’s what the Senators have done this season after their longest skids of four and five games:
Nov 14 - Nov 24 slump: 0-4-1
Nov 25 - Dec 21 response: 10-2-1
Jan 2 - Jan 9 slump: 0-3-1
Jan 11 - Feb 3 response: 10-2-1
Feb 4 - Feb 22 slump: 0-4-0
Feb 25 response: ?-?-?
Green hopes the Senators can rely on the lessons they’ve been emphasizing all season during times like this.
“I think it just goes back to what we've been talking about all season,” Green said. “Whether you win or lose, you evaluate your game, move on, and get ready for the next one.”
The next one won’t be easy. Not only are the Senators rusty and banged up, but they’ll also be facing the Winnipeg Jets, the top team in hockey, who've won nine straight.
On top of that, the Senators have zero breathing room in the standings. They currently hold the final Wild Card position in the East, tied at 62 points with the first Wild Card team, the Detroit Red Wings. The Columbus Blue Jackets also have 62 points but are outside the playoff picture due to fewer regulation/overtime wins. The Boston Bruins are close behind, just one point back with 61.
Do the Sens have another season-saving 10-2-1 run in them, or something close to it? With the Eastern Conference standings so tight, they may need one.