Biggest game of the year? Biggest win of the year too.
The Ottawa Senators desperately needed a vibe boost ahead of their European vacation and they got it in the form of a well-earned 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. It wasn’t a masterpiece by any stretch but the Sens found another gear in that third period and took care of business.
With the win, the Senators pulled within a game of .500 and hopped on that plane to Stockholm feeling a bit better about themselves. It’s good news around these parts too because with another four-day break looming, the win should help take the edge off a little bit. This team still has a long way to go but that game had the feeling of a must-win so it’s a step in the right direction.
The Senators are one of four teams to make the trip to Sweden, joined by the Detroit Red Wings, the Minnesota Wild and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ottawa plays Detroit on Thursday (a 2:00 PM start) and then the Wild on Saturday (11:00 AM start). In a strange bit of scheduling, they’ll travel all the way to Sweden with their provincial rival and yet, not find time to play each other on the trip.
DJ Smith has the team on the ice for practice this morning in Stockholm and they’ve been joined by a couple recent call-ups. Swedish defenceman Jacob Larsson is along for the trip as is Mads Søgaard, who has joined the team as an emergency third goalie. Søgaard isn’t expected to dress in the two games but it’s a nice reward for Søgaard after a solid start to the season in the AHL.
Meanwhile Larsson’s status is a little less clear. Artem Zub missed practice today after leaving the game early on Saturday so there’s a chance that Larsson is called upon if he can’t go. Both Larsson and Kleven have been taking turns with Jake Sanderson during today’s practice.
The good news is it doesn’t sound serious. DJ Smith said Zub is considered “day to day” but the fact that he joined the team on the trip seems like a pretty good sign that he’ll be ready to go on Thursday.
