Ottawa Senators headed back to playoffs for first time since 2017 despite loss to Jackets
Eight is enough.
The Ottawa Senators headed back to the National Hockey League playoffs for the first time since 2017.
They couldn't have done it without a little help from their friends.
The Senators weren't very good and looked a little jittery in a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena as the club's three-game winning streak came to halt.
Only winger Fabian Zetterlund and Thomas Chabot were able to score for the Senators. Goaltender Anton Forsberg wasn't at his best.
As a result of the loss in Game No. 78, the Senators were forced to keep an eye on the out-of-town scoreboard. A loss by the Detroit Red Wings in any fashion to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday would also clinch a spot for Ottawa.
Thankfully for the Senators, the Habs pulled off a 4-1 victory over the Wings, which will allow Ottawa to participate in the playoffs for the first time since the club advanced to Game 7 of the East final in 2017.
'You're not going to see me smile a whole lot after a loss, but man it feels great,' Chabot told TSN 1200's Gord Wilson. 'It definitely does. Everybody, the whole group from top-to-bottom, took a huge step this year.
'Everybody did whatever they could every single night to get into the playoffs, and now that it's confirmed, we've still got some games to play, but the whole group is fired up. We can't wait to go at it.'
This was the final road game for the Senators, with the club closing out the regular season with four straight at home.
The Senators came into this game with an 18-18-4 road record and were trying to finish with a mark above .500 for the first time since 2017. The Jackets were a different team than the one we saw on Sunday in Ottawa with top goalie Elvis Merzlikins in net.
Ottawa came into this game with a 13-4-2 record since March 1, but they just didn't look good. The Jackets were ahead 3-1 through 40 minutes and the Senators weren't able to find their game.
'I feel good for our team, our players and our fans,' said coach Travis Green. 'I am proud of our players. They deserve to be in the playoffs this year. This is something we talked about all summer, heading into training camp about where we wanted to be at this time of year.
'It's not easy to make the playoffs, as Ottawa feels, but every year every team goes into the season wanting to make it and only half the league does.'
Mathieu Olivier restored the two-goal lead heading to the third when the puck took a fortunate bounce off his skate and by Forsberg with only 22 seconds left in the period.
Zetterlund's first with the Senators in 16 games came on the powerplay at 16:18 of the second to pull Ottawa to within a goal. He was on the doorstep to beat Merzlikins.
'I've been shooting a lot and working hard. Finally, the puck is in the net,' Zetterlund told TSN's Matt Cullen after the second period.
The Senators didn't get off to a good start and dug themselves a hole.
They were trailing 2-0 after 20 minutes, and both were the result of turnovers. A 2-on-1 allowed the Jackets to extend their lead at 16:38 of the first when Justin Danfort beat Forsberg on the glove side.
The Jackets ended the club's shutout string at 160 minutes. A turnover and a bad start allowed Dmitri Voronkov to open the scoring seven minutes into the first period with a blast from the slot.
The Senators swore they weren't nervous heading into the game.
'It doesn't feel as good after a game like that, but we've been through some s— here and some tough years,' Tim Stutzle said. 'I'm just really proud of the guys, and how we all hung in here.
'I don't think there is a team who deserves it more than us. We worked really hard this year, and we've just got to keep going.'
The Senators went back to Forsberg after Linus Ullmark posted a shutout against Columbus on Sunday.
Forsberg made 39 stops in a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday. He came into this game with a 6-3-1 record in his last 10 starts with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
Ullmark has had a heavy workload, and this gives him a chance to have a good break before the Habs come to town on Friday.
The club was without captain Brady Tkachuk for the fifth straight game. He didn't make the trip to Columbus, and continues to be hampered by an upper-body injury he suffered 10 days ago.
'To find out we're in the dance we're pretty excited,' said Drake Batherson. 'Some of us have been at it seven or eight years, we're really proud of the group and everybody in the organization is really excited.'
Batherson said he expected to hear from Tkachuk in the group chat.
The club announced that single game playoff tickets will on sale sometime between April 15-to-April 18.
bgarrioch@postmedia.com
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