Ottawa Senators are set for a Battle of Ontario with meaning

Finally, a Battle of Ontario with meaning.

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The Ottawa Senators will face off against the arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena in a significant game for both clubs in the Eastern Conference standings.

While there is always excitement when these two teams meet each other, the Senators can make another big step towards their first trip to the post-season since 2017 with a victory on Hockey Night in Canada.

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That’s also the last time both teams in the provincial battle made the playoffs and picking up the two points is paramount for Ottawa with 17 games left in the National Hockey League’s regular season.

The Senators arrive in the Big Smoke as one of the NHL’s hottest teams with a 6-0-1 record in March and have peeled off five straight wins after closing out February with a five-game losing skid.

Ottawa is only four points behind the Tampa Bay Lighting for third place in the Atlantic Division and if the Senators can close the gap there is a strong possibility they could face the Leafs in Round 1 of the playoffs.

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The Senators have a 2-0-0 record against the Leafs this season and a 5-1-0 record against Toronto over the last two years.

It’s no wonder fans of the Senators are champing at the bit for the first Battle of Ontario in the post-season since 2004.

Coming off a 6-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday at home, the Senators have done a good job taking care of business down the and coach Travis Green has praised the steps this group has taken.

Adversity can make you stronger and Green believes the struggles the club went through in November have played a key role down the stretch.

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Captain Brady Tkachuk stated with 20 games left in the season that the Senators had to treat every one of those like it was “a Game 7” and that’s been the mindset.

“It goes back to November when we weren’t playing well and we talked a lot about not looking in the rearview mirror,” said Green, who was behind the bench for his 400th NHL game on Thursday. “Worry about today and worry about the present.

“When you lose or when you don’t play well, you learn from it and you move on. Sometimes you lose and you have played well and right now I think those lessons then are helping us. You’ve got to play a game, whether you win or lose, you’ve got to reset and we’ve got to do it again.

“It’s like playoff hockey for a lot of teams in the league and the ones that can stay consistent with finding their own personal teams game are going to be the ones that get in.”

The key: The Senators aren’t riding the highs too high or the lows too low.

“We’re even keel but even keel doesn’t bring it when you play,” Green added. “But it’s about not taking your foot off the gas or getting down if you lose and not getting too high if you win.”

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https://x.com/SunGarrioch/status/1900351213855560104

The victory over the Bruins wasn’t easy. The Senators pulled out to a 4-1 lead in the first but Boston kept battling back and closed the gap to 5-3 heading into the third.

The issue wasn’t settled until Claude Giroux iced it into an empty net.

But goaltender Linus Ullmark, who is 5-0-1 in his last six starts with a .913 save percentage, made the necessary stops, including a massive glove save on Mason Lohrei that will seen on TSN’s highlights for the rest of the year.

“Lots of ups and downs,” Ullmark said. “Came out hot, played a solid, really good first period, dominated them completely and showed on the scoreboard as well. Then it’s hard.

“We haven’t been put in this position a lot throughout the season, so it’s a new feeling for us, going into the second and having that lead. It’s hard sometimes because it’s (the) small things that matter in the end.”

Ullmark could have capped the special night if he’d been able to score into an empty net late in the game with the club holding a two-goal lead. He tried because Ullmark wanted badly to score against his former Boston teammates.

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“I thought to myself earlier, that would be fun to get one against these guys, but you’re gonna force it. There’s only so many opportunities you get,” Ullmark said. “The puck ended up coming down, and I felt that I had the time to go out there and shoot it, but then as soon as I got out there shooting it from that left side is hard because you have to shoot around yourself almost.

“I just tried to send it down the ice and hopefully get a good bounce. And so when I shot and I saw it, I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s not even close.’But at least we know, at least I tried. We’ll see if the opportunity presents itself for another time. You don’t get many of those in your career.”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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