Okay, Ottawa Senators. It’s time to come back now.
I understand that there are still a ridiculous number of days left in this scheduled break and that it may present some logistical challenges but the truth is, your presence is required here.
Should this early return prove to be impossible, even just a confirmation that you still exist would be nice.
While we eagerly await signs of life from the Ottawa Senators, we turn our collective attention to the league’s second half.
When the puck mercifully drops again on Saturday afternoon, the Senators will have just 32 games left in their season. And they’ll have some work to do if they want to fight their way back into the post-season picture. It’s unlikely for sure but not impossible, especially when you consider that it appeared as though the Senators were basically done losin’.
As you may faintly recall, the Senators were playing some of their best hockey when we last saw them. Four straight wins and looking like a team that had turned a corner of sorts. Certainly some positive vibes heading into the break anyway.
They’ll need to hit the ground running this weekend.
A quick look at the schedule shows just how busy the Senators will be in February and March.
For example, they’ll play back-to-back games on three occasions in the month of February. Three of ’em in 17 days. Six games in 10 days right out of the gates too. It’s not that the quality of opponents is off the charts necessarily but just the frequency of games that is likely to be an issue.
March really doesn’t look any better either. Fifteen games in just 31 days through March, before closing it out with seven games in 13 days during the final month of the season.
Math isn’t really my strong suit but I am fairly certain that when you add it all together what you get is a bunch of games in not very many days.
If the Senators are going to force their way back into the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, they’re going to have to start banking points in a hurry and they’ll have to do it during one of their busiest stretches of the season.
Rest up, Sens fans.
-While we may still be a few days away from Ottawa’s return to the ice, the rest of the league is back at it as of tonight. And because what the hell else do we have to do, this seems like as good a time as any to activate the ol’ out-of-town scoreboard. Tonight, we’re looking for favours from the Philadelphia Flyers (hosting the New York Islanders) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (who visit the Florida Panthers).
-If you had to create a power rankings of the most likely Senators to be on the way out ahead of the Trade Deadline, Cam Talbot’s name may be at the top of that list. At least based on some of the early speculation. Experienced goalies with expiring contracts always get a little bit of traction this time of year and that seems to be the case with Talbot. Both the Penguins and the Kings have been mentioned as possible destinations. There are a couple things worth pointing out though- the first is that Talbot is current injured. While he’s expected to resume skating after the break, there’s no immediate timeline for his return. The second thing is, the Senators have not completed closed the door on a short-term extension.
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