The Ottawa Senators are hoping that a turnaround this season can pay the same dividends it once did for the Vancouver Canucks and end a lengthy playoff drought.
The Canucks punched their ticket to the playoffs last year after missing seven of the previous eight playoffs. The Senators have failed to make the last seven postseasons.
The two clubs meet on Saturday in an all-Canadian clash as the Senators travel to Vancouver for the third game of their longest road trip in franchise history.
The Senators have gotten off to a hot start on the nine-game swing, necessary because Ottawa is hosting the World Junior Hockey Championships.
They have won the first two games, including a 3-2 overtime win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday, and are on a five-game winning streak overall.
“Feels good when you win a few games,” Senators coach Travis Green said. “We weren’t at our best (Thursday), but we found a way to win. We are going to have to be better to win the next game.”
Brady Tkachuk scored 55 seconds into overtime against the Flames.
The game ended with a series of end-to-end rushes. After Senators goalie Linus Ullmark made a save on Jonathan Huberdeau, he sent a pass to Tim Stutzle. His shot was stopped by Dan Vladar, but Tkachuk knocked in the rebound for his team-leading 16th goal of the season.
Nick Cousins and Ridly Greig also scored for the Senators, who own the NHL’s longest current winning streak. Ullmark made 30 saves and earned his first assist of the season on the game-winning goal.
Ottawa general manager Steve Staios made a series of offseason moves, including addressing one of the biggest needs by acquiring Ullmark, the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner.
Ullmark has won each of his past seven starts, allowing just seven goals.
“The boys are feeling good right now,” Greig said. “Ullmark has been a big part of that. Everything has been coming together and we are playing with a lot more confidence.”
The Canucks have lost two straight. No. 1 goaltender Thatcher Demko did not play in Thursday’s 3-1 loss to Vegas after taking a couple of heavy bumps in the crease from opposing players in a 3-2 overtime loss to Utah the night before.
Demko suffered a knee injury late last season, which kept him out until making his season debut on Dec. 10 against St. Louis.
The Canucks blew an early lead against the Golden Knights in the second of back-to-back road games.
They are playing their fourth game in six nights and have lost five of their last seven (2-3-2).
“It was a good hockey game. We didn’t give them much and they didn’t give us much,” coach Rick Tocchet said of the Vegas loss. “They capitalized and got the empty-net goal.”
Opponents are starting to figure out that the way to stop the Canucks’ offense is to shut down Quinn Hughes, the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best defenseman.
“We were hoping for someone to get going there in the third period,” Tocchet said. “They were taking Quinn away a lot so he is trying to dish it to some other guys.”
This is the second of two games between the Canucks and Senators. The Canucks won the first game 4-3 on Nov. 23 in Ottawa.
–Field Level Media
