Next Two Weeks Key for Senators

Disorder, disarray, unrest and uproar.

To say the very least – your Ottawa Senators do lead the league in one category and that’s turmoil. So much so they could slap a banner up outside the Canadian Tire Centre reading this: “Proud Home of the Most Tumultuous Team in Hockey!” (Although they might want to scrap that ‘proud’ part).

Causticness aside, it’s been quite a year, eh?

This unfortunate labelling though didn’t start with the Linus Ullmark situation; a scenario that continues to resonate. Fact is, Ottawa’s been Team Turmoil for years. I’m fairly sure I don’t need to tell you that the carnival swung its doors open in late August of 2003 when Biovail Corporation owner Eugene Melnyk bought the club.

Since then?

Moderate success, including a trip to the Stanley Cup final in 2007, did follow . . . but so too did the circus.

We could fill this page with the details but then this short column would approach War and Peace in length.

We don’t need to do that, especially since most of you know and have lived through the details.

The point in all of this is that 2025-26 is not unusual but it is lamentable.

The grind on the players is already super-charged across the league this season, and that’s before you address any sort of off-ice issues. The upcoming Winter Olympics has forced the NHL into adopting a super-condensed regular season schedule, one that wears and tears on the body. Throwing a mentally fatiguing and draining aspect into the mix makes this a doubly dangerous season.

You can see the exhaustion on the Ottawa player’s faces.

You can hear it in their interviews, especially when that triggering word ‘goaltending’ is broached.

The situation will eventually go the this-too-shall-pass route, and if you’re a Senators fan, that can’t come soon enough.

FIVE OUT, NOW WHAT?

The Senators picked up some valuable cabbage in the form of eight points in their last five games during the middle part of January.

As of this writing, the team sits five ticks back of Boston for the final wild-card spot. Also important to remember Buffalo is just six ahead.

Given the ups-and-downs and various mood swings of the Atlantic Division, pretty much anything can happen positionally in the next couple of months. But it’s paramount to Ottawa’s cause to maintain the momentum of this mini run. Any further stumbles and it’s lights out on the season.

The decision on heading in as a buyer or a seller at the trade deadline will likely be made at the Olympic break, which runs from Feb. 5^th to the 26^th for the Senators. That means the next two weeks will tell the tale.

So, what’s ahead during the next eight games (which will bring us to the break)?

It’s even-steven as far as home and away. Following this Thursday’s match-up in Nashville, Ottawa plays its next four games at the CTC. Incoming will be three exceedingly challenging tests in Carolina, Vegas and Colorado, then what many enjoy calling a ‘winnable’ game as the Senators host New Jersey.

The stretch ends with a trio of away games – at Pittsburgh, at Carolina and wrapping up in Philadelphia.

Realistically Ottawa comes away with four wins out of the eight and that doesn’t do much to breed optimism for the post-Olympic race for the playoffs. Seeing Carolina face-to-face twice is unsettling and anytime you try and tackle Colorado the heebie-jeebies get activated.

Ottawa is certainly capable of claiming more than the estimated four wins. Veteran James Reimer has supplied fair netminding in his two games and the hope remains that he stays the course until an Ullmark return (imminent?).

“He was good. Really good,” said head coach Travis Green after Tuesday’s win over Columbus where Reimer stopped 21 of 22 shots. “He’s looked sharp the first two games.”

Even average goaltending gives this bubble team promise.

But that promise and hope need to summon points, and pronto.

OTTAWA SENATORS WEEK AHEAD:

Thursday, Jan. 22: Ottawa at Nashville (8 pm)

Saturday, Jan. 24: Carolina at Ottawa (7 pm)

Sunday, Jan. 25: Vegas at Ottawa (5 pm)

Wednesday, Jan. 28: Colorado at Ottawa (7:30 pm)

thegrossgame@yahoo.com

Photo: CourtesyReuters