Ottawa Senators begin busy stretch against East opponents with Sabres

The Ottatwa Senators host the Buffalo Sabres in a heated playoff race for a wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Published Jan 08, 2025  •  4 minute read

Sabres forward Jordan Greenway, left, and Senators defenceman Nick Jensen pursue the puck in a November 2024 game in Buffalo. The Senators return home on Thursday against Buffalo after going 4-4-1 in nine straight games on the road. Photo by Adrian Kraus /The Associated Press

Buckle up folks, it’s going to be a wild ride.

The Ottawa Senators wrapped up their difficult stretch of nine straight games on the road with the 2025 IIHF world junior championship in town on Tuesday night with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings and finished with a 4-4-1 record.

That’s not good, but not bad, either, and it could have been worse, but the Senators remain in the mix to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years with a lot of the season left to be played.

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However, as the Senators return to the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres for the first time since Dec. 14, they understand that every point is paramount as they prepare to hit the schedule’s midpoint against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

While the Senators have lost five of their last six with a 1-4-1 record in that stretch, the loss to the Wings at Little Ceasars Arena was a hard-fought battle between two teams battling for the final wildcard spot in the East with nine teams in the mix as we enter the second half.

“When you look at the nine-game road trip in total, 4-4-1 is right there, so it’s been a hard couple of weeks to get through,” captain Brady Tkachuk told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson in Detroit. “We gave ourselves (a chance to be) right in the mix.

“That’s what you want at this time of year. You always want to be in the mix, you want to be right there in the fight, and the next 43 games is going to be a hell of a ride.”

On that point, Tkachuk couldn’t be more correct.

This is a pivotal stretch of games for the Senators. The club will play 10 of its next 12 games in January against Eastern opponents.

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This will be a tough test at a time when the club’s depth is being put to the test.

Defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker (high-ankle sprain) joined a growing injury list on Monday that already included blueliner Travis Hamonic (knee), forward David Perron (back), forward Michael Amadio (concussion) and goaltender Linus Ullmark (back).

The loss of Ullmark has been the biggest blow.

Ullmark was 8-0-1 in nine games before his injury with a 1.48 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage when he left the net after the first period of a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 22.

Nobody knows when Ullmark will be back and we’re told he hasn’t even resumed skating. Coach Travis Green called him week-to-week on Sunday and even when Ullmark does resume skating he’ll need some time to get back into his groove.

Goaltending is the key to everything because it can cover up a lot of mistakes, especially when the blueline is shorthanded.

Anton Forsberg gave his club a chance to win against the Wings, and that’s what the Senators need because they hadn’t been getting that from him on nearly a consistent enough basis.

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“He’s the reason we got a point. We have all the faith in our goalies and he played great,” Tkachuk said.

This was only his second start since he suffered an injury in the gym preparing to play the Penguins on Dec. 14 that kept him out for three weeks, and Forsberg is trying to get his game back together.

He made 30 stops against the Wings and the expectation is he’ll face the Sabres.

“It was a step in the right direction for me,” Forsberg said. “The timing has got to come back and there’s small details out there that you really can’t get in practice, especially when you don’t practise a lot when you have so many games.

“But I felt like I was back in it tonight so it was great.”

It hasn’t helped that the Senators’ offence has dried up, and it’s a big reason why, nine games into the new year, they’re still looking for their first win since the calendar turned to 2025.

Since Ullmark was hurt, the Senators have been outscored 16-9 in five games with a .250 winning percentage. That has Ottawa ranked No. 30 in the league in that period in terms of points earned and that’s allowed teams the Senators are battling with to get back into the race.

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This is why points are paramount.

Unlike losses to the Dallas Stars on Thursday and the St. Loius Blues on Friday, the Senators looked like they had their legs back after spending a couple of days in Ottawa before heading to the Motor City.

“We just wanted to get our energy and our identity back, and get back to playing Senators hockey and the way we need to play,” Tkachuk said. “It could have gone either way.

“Of course, it sucks losing and it’s really frustrating. At the end of the day, you’ve got to appreciate you’ve got a point in this tight race and just stay in it.”

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