We've reached a stage where the Ottawa Senators have played so well, their fans don't need to pay as much attention anymore to the out-of-town scoreboard.
It's never very cooperative anyway.
With just a dozen games left in the season, Tuesday night’s showdown in Motown (7 pm: TSN5, RDS2) is the only focus.
The Senators (83 pts) and Red Wings (84 pts) are both within striking distance of the New York Islanders (85 pts) for the second wild card spot in the East. The Sens have also sneakily closed to within three points of Boston (WC2) and Montreal (A3),
For those who do like to monitor the league's scoreboard, the Islanders host Chicago on Tuesday, Boston faces Toronto, Montreal entertains Carolina, and Columbus (M3, 85 pts) is at Philadelphia. All games are 7 pm.
As for Detroit and Ottawa, a victory would be huge, setting up all kinds of interesting possibilities. But as exciting as they are, the Senators have far more than their share of challenges leading into this one.
Blue Line Crisis
The Senators have a defence corps that has been completely gutted by injuries.
Already without Jake Sanderson, Nick Jensen, and Dennis Gilbert, the Senators took two more hits in Monday’s 2–1 loss to the New York Rangers. Thomas Chabot and Lassi Thomson both left that game and will not play in Detroit. Head coach Travis Green says both will be out for a while.
In Chabot's case, it looks like it'll be a long while.
The 29-year-old had been carrying a heavy workload in Sanderson’s absence, was seen postgame wearing a sling and a brace on his right wrist after taking a cross-check from J.T. Miller.
Chabot's absence strips Ottawa of its two most relied-upon defenceman in a game where they need all hands on deck.
Thomson’s situation is also unfortunate, but more from the individual standpoint. Playing his first NHL game in over two years, the 2019 first-round pick left with a lower-body injury. With unrestricted free agency looming this summer, it was a significant career opportunity to show off his wares that was cut way too short.
Baptism By Fire
With the next man up motto now pushed way beyond what's reasonable, the Senators will have to hope the kids are alright.
Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan are expected to make their NHL debuts on Tuesday night.
After the Sens brought up Gilbert and Thomson earlier this month, it became clear that the Sens' preference was to let Yakemchuk keep developing in the AHL and then re-evaluate things in the fall. The 2024 seventh-overall pick has been developing steadily, but as a matter of policy, the organization has been deliberate in not rushing him.
With Plan A out the window (along with plans B through D), the Sens now had zero choice but to bring him up.
Yakemchuk, the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, arrives in Detroit on a high note, having just been named AHL Player of the Week. He has 10 goals and 36 points in 50 games as a rookie. But now he’ll be thrown directly into one of the most intense, hostile environments of the NHL season.
On top of their battle for a playoff spot, the Senators and Red Wings don't much like each other.
As for Donovan, the Ottawa native has not played a hockey game since March 7 due to injury and will jump straight into NHL action after a lengthy layoff. Rust is a concern, but so, too, is his readiness level, not to mention the emotional weight of the moment.
Donovan will make his debut for his hometown team, with his father, former Senator Shean Donovan expected to be in attendance.
No Easy Matchups
If there were ever a night to hope for controlled, sheltered minutes, this would be it. But that won’t be an option for Travis Green.
Detroit will, obviously, have the last change, allowing them to dictate matchups. So with both Yakemchuk and Donovan making their debuts, the Senators will be forced to rely on them in meaningful situations. Todd McLellan will be hoping to take advantage of the two rookies every time he sees them come over the boards.
Green also has no choice but to get the kids in there, just to give others a rest. He'll lean hard again on his top four D again (such as they are), but after they played every other shift for most of the last two periods just 24 hours ago, he can't overdo it either.
Playoffs Come Early
Late March hockey always brings extra urgency, and for these two teams and their fan bases, the playoffs have already begun.
For Ottawa, a win tightens the race and further reinforces the stick-to-their-game plan belief they've had all season. They're on an outstanding run of 13-3-2 that dates back to Jan. 25, which is the fourth-best record in the league during that time frame. Also in that window, the Senators have averaged 3.72 goals per game (5th in NHL), and allowed a league-best 2.22 goals and 21.2 shots per game.
Despite that, since we now see the end of the NHL racetrack off in the distance, there are two big questions. Have they left this playoff charge too late with not enough room for error? And will they be knocked off stride but this insane run of injuries on D?
As Green has preached all season, you can't worry about that stuff. They just need to stay focused on the process and the things they can control.
The Senators will have to find a way to deliver in their most important game of their season so far, and do so while everything is apparently stacked against them.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.
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