A dominant homestand has propelled the Senators closer toward the playoffs, but there's still work to be done.
As they fought for their playoff lives at the start of April, the Ottawa Senators were glad to get home for a late-season, five-game homestand that ran from April 2-9. They opened that stretch tied with Detroit and Philadelphia, and all three teams were two points out of a wild-card spot held by Columbus.
But the Sens' homestand wasn't going to be easy, as four of their five opponents were clearly playoff-bound. Buffalo, Minnesota, Carolina, and Tampa Bay were all high on the guest list to Lord Stanley's ball, and the fifth opponent was the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers, who had just trampled them a few days earlier.
The Senators' performance in the past week was beyond anyone's expectations.
They split the first two games, beating Buffalo and then losing to Minnesota. After that, they ran the rest of the table, beating Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Florida by a combined score of 17-6, and grabbing 8 of a possible 10 points.
Entering Saturday's action, every team in the Eastern Conference now has just three regular-season games left to play.
With a little help, the Senators can clinch a playoff spot by Saturday at 8 pm.
The Sens will be in New York to face the Islanders at 1 pm. If they defeat the Islanders in any fashion AND the Red Wings lose to the Devils (5 pm) in any fashion, then it's time to dust off your playoff car flags.
The Senators would officially punch their ticket to the playoffs for the second year in a row.
If you want to look at the bigger picture, without looking for help, the Senators will automatically make the playoffs if they can pull three out of a possible six points from their last three games. If they do that, then it's over. There's nothing anyone behind them can do to about it.
The Sens will certainly get the best version of the Islanders, who are also fighting for their playoff lives with a new head coach at the helm in Pete DeBoer. But on Sunday, the Sens will have a date with the Devils in a battle of two teams in a back-to-back situation.
Because Jacob Markstrom has been shut down for what's left of this season, the Sens will face goalie Nico Daws, who was just called up and has played only one NHL game this season. That said, Daws gave the Senators absolute fits in a game in Dec. 2023, a few days after Jacques Martin had taken over as interim coach.
Clinching at home against the Leafs would be sweet for Sens Nation. They'd love the idea of sending Toronto to the golf course with a flourish, but they'd rather not leave this to the last second and give their hated rivals a chance to spoil the party.
Ottawa:
SAT: Ottawa at Islanders
SUN: Ottawa at New Jersey
WED: Toronto at Ottawa
After they play the Devils, the Red Wings close out with two games in Florida, where both NHL teams feature depleted rosters. But maybe the spring break effect will hit the Wings the way it seemed to hit the Senators a couple of weeks ago in their ill-fated trip to Florida.
Detroit
SAT: New Jersey at Detroit
MON: Detroit at Tampa Bay
WED: Detroit at Florida
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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