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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.
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 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.
Team captain 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 is on the trip. He has been out with a knee injury since January 25th after a collision with Toronto Maple Leafs center Jacob Quillan. Cousins skated with the team on Tuesday morning, filling in on defence alongside 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, 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.
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 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.
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
Top 10: Jake Sanderson Takes His Offensive Production To A New Level
One On One: GM Steve Staios' Additions Help To Reset The Ottawa Senators
What's Going On With The Injury To Brady Tkachuk?
Battle of Ontario: Debating Who Would Win A Senators-Leafs Playoff Series
Continue reading...
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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 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.
Team captain 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 is on the trip. He has been out with a knee injury since January 25th after a collision with Toronto Maple Leafs center Jacob Quillan. Cousins skated with the team on Tuesday morning, filling in on defence alongside 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, 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.
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 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.
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
Top 10: Jake Sanderson Takes His Offensive Production To A New Level
One On One: GM Steve Staios' Additions Help To Reset The Ottawa Senators
What's Going On With The Injury To Brady Tkachuk?
Battle of Ontario: Debating Who Would Win A Senators-Leafs Playoff Series
Continue reading...
