Ottawa Senators hit road for long trip with plenty of hope

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It wasn’t long ago when the media wolves were circling the Ottawa Senators and head coach Travis Green, wondering if this year’s version of the team was already flushing itself down the toilet.

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Green, who didn’t like the line of questioning when his team was struggling, referenced it in his post-game press conference following Ottawa’s 3-2 overtime win over Pittsburgh on Saturday: “Three or four weeks ago, we were sitting in here talking about the world caving in.”

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For the Senators, it is about today and tomorrow and the days to come this month, with a nine-game trip that goes well into January beginning Tuesday in Seattle. This stretch of games is big for a team that has gone from here-we-go-again status to currently sitting in a playoff position.

December has been death to the Senators in the past. Last year, head coach DJ Smith was fired with his team in the middle of a six-game losing skid.

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The Senators, so far, are providing a much different script in December, with five wins, a shootout loss and a loss in regulation.

It hasn’t been a fluke. Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot are among those who have elevated their games. Brady Tkachuk is doing Brady Tkachuk-like things. Nick Jensen has been a terrific addition and goalie Linus Ullmark is making unworldly saves.

That’s all good. But being a playoff team is far from locked in. As Ullmark said following another terrific performance Saturday, “There are still more than 40 games left. I want to be in a playoff position when those games are played.”

The Senators will close December with games in Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Minnesota. It won’t be easy. While the Senators are 10-6-1 at home, they’re 5-7-1 on the road. 

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“Try to get at least 50% of the points on the road trip,” Ullmark said of the goal.

With Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig rediscovering some mojo in recent games, this is a very solid Senators team. Missing defenceman Artem Zub and winger David Perron to injuries, the Senators are playing well four lines deep.

Green talks about belief and confidence as being key factors in this team rise in the standings.

“Positive moments are a lot easier to be confident about than negative ones,” Green said. “Our guys are confident; you want to feel confident with your game when you’re on the road.”

What has been the difference? Why are the Senators stacking wins?

“The other team is going to have moments,” Green said. “Probably a month ago, we would try to make something out of nothing in those moments instead of just getting it back on the rails and taking what the game gives you. It’s a hard league to make something out of nothing.”

A healthy Ullmark flashing Vezina Trophy skills has been huge.

“You’re never going to play a game where you shut down a team and they don’t get chances,” Green said. “Sometimes they get Grade A chances. That’s what separates really good goalies — they’re the ones that make the saves you’re not counting on them to make.

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“(Goaltending) is a big part of winning or losing. There’s a lot of parity in the league. From night to night, any team can win, whether you’re at the bottom of the standings or the top.”

With three straight wins, the Senators will try and make it four against Seattle. One game at a time.

“We always knew we had it in us,” Ullmark said. “It’s nice to have a three-game win streak, you have to build off it.

“In this league, everything can change in a matter of seconds. So, I never take for granted the saves I make and the wins we get.”

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