It’s been such a long time coming. The Ottawa Senators can officially clinch their first playoff spot in 8 years on Tuesday night as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time in as many games. April 6, 2025: Senators defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo scores his first NHL goal (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images). [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/947953a8-b651-468e-b781-f84a6124b492.jpeg] April 6, 2025: Senators defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo scores his first NHL goal (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images). The Senators still have five games left in their season, and all they need to secure their Stanley Cup playoff ticket is one more point. However, thanks to the New York Rangers loss on Monday night, the Senators could also clinch a playoff berth if: They defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://puckpedia.com/team/columbus-blue-jackets] in any fashion (7 p.m. TSN5, RDS2); OR the Red Wings lose in any fashion Tuesday at Montreal; OR the Senators lose in regulation while the Red Wings earn one point or less against the Canadiens. Sens Nation Podcast: Host Steve Warne has a vivid description of what it's like to be a Sens fan right now. Team captain Brady Tkachuk [https://puckpedia.com/player/brady-tkachuk] has missed the last four games due to an upper-body injury and did not travel with the team to Columbus. In a game a week ago Sunday, he was hurt in a neutral zone collision with Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves. The Senators have performed very well without Tkachuk, winning their last three games and allowing just one goal in the process. Meanwhile, winger Nick Cousins [https://puckpedia.com/player/nick-cousins] is on the trip. He has been out with a knee injury since January 25th after a collision with Toronto Maple Leafs [https://puckpedia.com/team/toronto-maple-leafs] center Jacob Quillan. Cousins skated with the team on Tuesday morning, filling in on defence alongside Dennis Gilbert [https://puckpedia.com/player/dennis-gilbert], who was Ottawa’s 7th defenseman for the practice. As he often does, Travis Hamonic skated at practice in place of the very banged up Nick Jensen. With the playoff spot nearly secured, it will be interesting to see if Jensen gets some rest and recovery time during the final nine days of the regular season. The Senators will start goalie Anton Forsberg [https://puckpedia.com/player/anton-forsberg], who has been outstanding in his last two games, allowing zero goals in regulation. He took the loss on March 30th in a 1-0 OT defeat to Pittsburgh, then on Sunday, he made 37 saves in a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers [https://puckpedia.com/team/florida-panthers]. Beyond Ullmark getting the night off, which may be the norm down the stretch, the Senators will go with the same lineup they had in their 4-0 win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Elvis Merzlikins [https://puckpedia.com/player/elvis-merzlikins] is starting in goal for Columbus. He zipped things up for the Jackets on Sunday following Daniil Tarasov's early exit after just 5 minutes. Head coach Travis Green says the Sens will likely need to be even better on Tuesday than they were on Sunday. "It's an important two points for us. It's going to be an important two points for Columbus," Green told the Ottawa media. "We're going to play a desperate team that's very good in this building. And anytime you play a team two times in a row, if you want to win the second game, you're going to have to be better than you were the first one. Senators projected lineup (NHL.com) Fabian Zetterlund - Tim Stutzle - Claude Giroux David Perron - Dylan Cozens - Drake Batherson Ridly Greig - Shane Pinto - Michael Amadio Matthew Highmore - Adam Gaudette - Angus Crookshank Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub Thomas Chabot - Nick Jensen Tyler Kleven - Nikolas Matinpalo Anton Forsberg Linus Ullmark Injured: Nick Cousins (knee), Brady Tkachuk (upper body) Blue Jackets projected lineup Boone Jenner - Sean Monahan - Kirill Marchenko James van Riemsdyk - Adam Fantilli - Kent Johnson Dmitri Voronkov - Cole Sillinger - Mathieu Olivier Zach Aston-Reese - Sean Kuraly - Justin Danforth Zach Werenski - Dante Fabbro Denton Mateychuk - Ivan Provorov Jake Christiansen - Erik Gudbranson Elvis Merzlikins Daniil Tarasov Zetterlund has just 2 assists in 15 games for the Senators, still seeking that first goal for Ottawa. On Saturday, Matthew Highmore got his first goal in 34 games; On Sunday, Adam Gaudette scored his first in 25, and Nik Matinpalo got the first of his career. Zetterlund hopes his turn is next. Ottawa's last playoff game was May 25, 2017. Whether it's Tuesday night or later in the week, there isn't a fan base in the league that's more excited to stop being playoff wallflowers and get back to the dance. Five Outstanding 2017 Ottawa Senator Playoff Trivia Questions [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/playoff-clinching-scenarios-and-five-great-ottawa-senator-playoff-trivia-questions] Top 10: Jake Sanderson Takes His Offensive Production To A New Level [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/ottawa-senators-defenseman-jake-sanderson-takes-his-offensive-production-to-a-new-level] One On One: GM Steve Staios' Additions Help To Reset The Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/season-seat-member-qa-sance-de-questions-et-rponses-pour-les-membres-abonns] What's Going On With The Injury To Brady Tkachuk? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/will-the-ottawa-senators-have-to-push-for-a-playoff-spot-without-brady-tkachuk] Battle of Ontario: Debating Who Would Win A Senators-Leafs Playoff Series [https://senatorsaggr.com/go/41861]
