Ottawa hockey fans have been on the edge of their seats lately, and for good reason — the Ottawa Senators are in a playoff spot, but the road ahead is anything but smooth.
Where the Sens Stand
As the NHL regular season enters its final stretch, the Senators find themselves in a precarious but exciting position. Sitting within the playoff picture, Ottawa is fighting off hungry teams below them while trying to keep pace with the clubs ahead. It's the kind of situation that makes every single game feel like a must-win — and in the nation's capital, that energy is absolutely electric.
For a fanbase that has endured some lean years, even being in this conversation this late in the season is meaningful. But the Sens don't want to just be in the conversation — they want to be in the playoffs.
The Competition Is Fierce
The Eastern Conference wild card race is as tight as it's been in recent memory. Several teams are bunched closely together in the standings, meaning a bad week could quickly drop Ottawa out of contention. Conversely, a hot streak could cement their position and even allow them to leapfrog a divisional rival.
The Sens will need contributions up and down the lineup. Their young core — the group Ottawa fans have been patiently building around — needs to rise to the moment. Playoff experience is often cited as priceless in the NHL, and this stretch run is the closest thing to playoff hockey these players will see before the real thing.
Special Teams and Goaltending Are Key
If the Senators are going to make a run, their special teams and goaltending will need to be sharp. Power play efficiency and penalty kill percentage become magnified down the stretch, as does the ability to win tight, low-scoring games. Any slippage in those areas can be the difference between celebrating a playoff berth and watching the post-season from home.
Goaltending, in particular, will be under the microscope. The Sens need their netminder to steal a game or two — that's simply what playoff-contending teams require from the position.
What Ottawa Fans Can Do
If you want to soak in the excitement, Canadian Tire Centre is the place to be for these final regular-season games. The atmosphere when the Sens are in a playoff push is unlike anything else in the city. Whether you're watching from the arena or gathered around a TV at a local bar on Elgin Street or in the ByWard Market, Ottawa is a hockey town — and right now, the hockey is as meaningful as it gets.
TSN Ottawa 1200, the city's sports talk home, has been dissecting every angle of the Senators' playoff push, and the debate is fierce: can this group hang on?
The answer won't come from analysts or radio hosts. It'll come from the ice.
Source: TSN Ottawa 1200 via Google News Ottawa
