News Senators Team Notes

Comin’ Home

There’s an old saying in sports and it goes like this – you’re never in trouble until you lose at home. See, it’s kind of bullshit.

If you lose the first two games of a seven-game series you are undoubtedly in a very real and tangible form of trouble. The other team is half-way there and you haven’t even started yet. You need to win four of the next five. If you lose the next one, you are basically cooked.

But the premise behind it is true.

If you can find a way to protect your home ice advantage and win the games in your barn, well then things turn in an awful hurry. And that’s where the Ottawa Senators find themselves heading into Game 3 on Thursday night.

In trouble but comin’ home.

Despite that precarious spot, the team seems mostly unbothered and generally seems to feel good about where their game is at. We’ve seen it from this group all year too. Even when things start to slide, there is a very real belief that they can get it back on track. The Coach is calm, the Captain is collected and looking at the first two games of this series, there is every reason to believe that the Senators can fight their way back into this thing.

They can play with these fucking guys. They just did.

Yea I get it…the fan base has demons when it comes to the Leafs. Listen, I got ’em too. But I can guaranfuckintee you it’s nothing compared to the playoff demons the actual Leafs have. You could see it in the second and third period last night. Did you see their faces after that Adam Gaudette goal? I sure as hell did. I saw that undeniable fear that’s lurking just below the surface.

The Division-winning “Cup contender” against the Wild Card and it was the contender hanging on for dear life. Yea, Toronto won the game. But the Senators walked into their building and dictated the way the game was gonna be played and came a shot away from a split. They were right there.

They just need a little push.

All year long, the Senators were a different team on home ice. And at times, unrecognizable on the road. A game under .500 away from the CTC but 27-11-3 in their own rink. Home ice matters for this team and that’s because this young group feeds off that energy. They’ve told us as much time and time again.

And now down 2-0, they’re asking us for help.

When the season ends, there will be time to look back. There will be time to look ahead too. But right now, the only thing that matters is Game 3. The game that we have been waiting eight friggin’ years for. A game that felt essentially impossible at the low points of the last decade. The only thing that matters right now is the fans in the rink giving the team that little bit extra that they didn’t have in Game 1 and 2. It might not be enough but we sure as shit will wanna know that we tried.

A playoff hockey game is being played in Ottawa tomorrow. Say it.

If you are going to that game, it’s time to find another level. The CTC has been buzzing all year long but tomorrow needs to be completely unhinged. This is a night eight years in the making and it comes at a time when it can make a real difference in the series.

Let’s give these guys a push.

Go. Sens. Go.

The SensChirp Tipjar



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Source: https://senschirp.ca/news/comin-home/
 
Game Day – Series Shifts to Ottawa for Game 3

It really doesn’t need to be said at this point. The stakes are obvious.

After dropping the first two games of the series in Toronto, this is a game the Sens gotta win. It’s that simple. There have been encouraging signs in those first two on the road and there are legitimate reasons to believe they can rally but tonight, they just gotta find a way.

The Ottawa Senators host the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3.

We’ve used the term often over the last decade and usually in a mid-season slump or in a fruitless late-season push. But this time, I really mean it. I’m yelling this at anyone who will listen and at some people that won’t. It’s time to bring out the big guns. This is, without a doubt…

THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR.

Okay, that’s the obvious part.

Now how about a moment to really appreciate where we find ourselves today? I usually advise against it but just for a second, think about the low points over the last decade, about the expectations we put on this team heading into this season and about where we find ourselves right fucking now. Excuse my language but it’s late April. It’s 15 degrees outside.

It’s a jersey/no coat kinda thing. It’s chills looking at the white towels draped over the seats kinda thing. Get to the rink at 4:00 PM with your friends and crush a bunch of overpriced beers kinda thing. High-fiving a perfect stranger and heckling a kid if he looks at you the wrong way kinda thing. It’s the kind of thing we’ve waited eight long years for.

The Ottawa Senators are about to host a Stanley Cup playoff game.

Honestly, I get chills just typing the words. And all day long, you can just tell there is something different in the air as the series shifts back to Ottawa. It’s a vibe I haven’t felt in this city for a long, LONG time and honestly, I just can’t wait to get down there.

We saw a lot of it in Game 2 but it seems like the forward combinations will be shuffled right out of the gate tonight. Fabian Zetterlund appears poised to join the team’s top six, skating on a line with Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens. Meanwhile, both Ridly Greig and Nick Jensen were again absent at the morning skate but all signs point to them both being available.

A best guess at how they’ll line up for this one.

Tkachuk-Stützle-Giroux
Zetterlund-Cozens-Batherson
Greig-Pinto-Amadio
Cousins-Gaudette-Perron

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Matinpalo

Linus Ullmark gets the start in goal.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 PM at The Tire. The game is available on television and on radio and for the first time in eight years, this particular Stanley Cup playoff game is available for viewing in-person in Ottawa.

We’ve been waiting a long damn time for this, Sens fans. Let’s have some fun with it.

GO SENS GO

The SensChirp Tipjar



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Source: https://senschirp.ca/news/game-day-series-shifts-to-ottawa-for-game-3/
 
Sanderson’s Goal Forces Game 5 in Toronto

FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS

-Ain’t. Dead. Yet. Thanks to a burst of energy from Tyler Kleven and then an incredible play to keep the puck in by Jake Sanderson and then a quick wrist shot by that same Jake Sanderson and then a timely screen by Fabian Zetterland and then a quick prayer from SensChirp and then a moment of reprieve from the hockey gods, the Ottawa Senators are alive and kickin’. With their season on the line in Game 4 on Saturday night, the Sens did what they always do – they just found a way. It wasn’t pretty and it was the furthest thing imaginable from a “stress-free performance” but the Senators live to fight another day.

-A moment of appreciation for Sens fans. The last two games at the Canadian Tire Centre have been another good reminder that this fan base is among the best in the National Hockey League and it’s just a damn shame we haven’t had many chances to show the rest of the hockey world in the last decade or so. Thursday night’s Game 3 was just completely unhinged. A burst of energy that was eight years in the making. Saturday night was something a little different. Even with way more blue in the rink, it was Sens fans that carried the day. Even with our season on the line and our collective backs against the wall and the Leafs pushing us to the brink, it was Sens fans that made all the noise. It cannot be understated how impressive that is and how difficult it can be to bring that kind of energy when your season is on the line. Just an incredible performance.

Volume UP 🔊#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/G3Py3hkKKS

— X – Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 27, 2025
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-The Senators didn’t need to win four games last night. They just needed one. Not just to give those fans I mentioned above a moment of relief but for a couple days, to plant that seed of doubt in the minds of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And make no mistake – that seed has been planted. It doesn’t take much to expose those demons come playoff time and now for the next two days, the Leafs are left to stew on that “Not again…” line of thinking that has a way of creeping up on them this time of the year. All the pressure in the world on them now and the Senators are playing with house money. The Toronto media will spend the next two days picking away at those demons and asking the questions the Leafs and their fans are already asking themselves. I heard it from a few of them on the way out too. They’re worried.

-And now a moment of appreciation for the Ottawa penalty kill. On a night and in a series where the margins are razor thin, it was the effort on the penalty kill that ended up being the difference in Game 4. A shorthanded goal by Shane Pinto in the first period and then an almost unimaginable four-minute kill in the overtime, with their season on the line. When that 4:00 minutes flashed up on the scoreboard, it really didn’t even cross my mind that the game might continue beyond that double minor. But full credit to the Senators for just finding a way to kill that thing off. Again, it wasn’t pretty but they just battled with everything they had left in the tank and got it done. A real gutsy effort.

-And now, a moment of appreciation for Emma. My seven-year old daughter had a chance to attend her first playoff game last night and even though the amount of snacks we consumed was on another level and even though it drifted WELL beyond her bedtime and even though we spent another hour watching highlights when we got home, she really brought it last night. Over the years, Sens fandom has taught me the importance of appreciating the moments along the way. Ultimately, the goal is championships but if you limit it to those things, you’ll miss all the best stuff. Having a chance to show Emma playoff hockey for the first time in her young life and to celebrate an overtime winner with her is honestly right up there on my list of moments. Consensus seems to be that we’re heading to Toronto too because I think Emma may have been the difference.

Emma gets to go to her first ever playoff game tonight and I can't friggin' wait. #GoSensGo https://t.co/ENjDwKKy1X

— SensChirp (@SensChirp) April 26, 2025
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Post-Game Interviews
Advance Stats
Boxscore

GOTTA LOVE IT!#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/1dqn0EFMmf

— X – Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 27, 2025
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The SensChirp Tipjar



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Source: https://senschirp.ca/news/sandersons-goal-forces-game-5-in-toronto/
 
Senators Grind Out Win in Game 5

FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS

-There really are no words. There will be because that’s kind of the point but you know what I mean. To turn in an effort like that on the road and with your season on the line is nothing short of remarkable. From top to bottom, that was the best team effort of the entire season and there is nothing that comes particularly close. The commitment to defence and to battling for every loose puck was honestly unlike anything I’ve seen from this team. Picking out one player from a game like that is basically impossible because it really was a team effort in every sense of the term.

-Okay, we’ll name a couple guys that stood out. Everybody played great but a couple guys in particular played out of their mind. We’ll start with Linus Ullmark who has been pretty clearly getting better with each game. Game 5 was by far his best though. Even though he looked better in that Game 4 win, there will still some moments where it seemed like he might be guessing a little bit. That was certainly not the case in this one. Ullmark was locked in from the moment the puck dropped and just looked super comfortable for the full sixty minutes. Leading up to this game there was a lot of talk about Ullmark needing to “steal one” at some point and while it wasn’t quite thievery because the Senators were full marks for the win but still – Ullmark was damn good.

-Jake Sanderson is next on the list. The boxscore says he played 26:27 but it actually felt like he was out there the entire night and on every shift, he was completely dictating the pace of the game. There was a moment in the second period, when he was doing that thing he does where he arrives out of nowhere below the goal line, takes two strides and makes an effortless breakout pass when it really hit me – this guy is only 22 years old. It feels like just yesterday we were talking about how good Jake Sanderson is gonna be and he’s just…already that good. And only just scratching the surface. He is the best defenceman in this series and nobody else even comes close.

-In the early part of this series, the Ottawa penalty kill was getting a ton of attention and for all the wrong reasons. Now, it’s one of the primary reasons this series rolls on. In Game 4, they got a shorthanded goal from Shane Pinto and a big four minute kill in overtime. Last night, they shut the door for the full sixty minutes and ultimately iced the game on a shorty by Dylan Cozens. While the formation hasn’t changed, it does seem like the Senators have been a lot more aggressive since Game 1 and it’s made a huge a difference. I am fairly certain the sound I made on that third period shorthanded goal has never been made by another human. Just a massive goal at the biggest possible moment. Also…since when do Adam Gaudette and Dylan Cozens kill penalties?!

-Live to fight another day. It’s that simple. When you dig a hole this deep, there’s really only one way out of it and that’s one step at a time. In Game 4, they survived. In Game 5, they dominated. The Leafs players can say otherwise but the seed has been planted and for the next two days, it will grow. Watching the faces of those fans in Toronto last night, it’s clear. Ottawa is only half way there but in the hearts and minds of Leafs fans, it’s a full on “here we go again”. The Sens walked into Toronto, with their season on the line, and they played a flawless hockey game. This season has been so amazing because you can sort of see the Ottawa Senators growing up in real time. The progress they made in the regular season was impressive. Now you can it in the playoffs too. They’re getting better every game.

Danger Flutes live on Elgin 😭😭 god I love this city when it's the playoffs. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/lOqKXOkGN6

— Eldy (@Eldy_BTTS) April 30, 2025
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Post-game Interviews
Advanced Stats
Boxscore

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The SensChirp Tipjar



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The Void

There is a progression to these things.

It starts with soul-crushing disappointment and that comes just after the final horn. It’s that immediate realization that a team that has always found a way, just couldn’t find a way. In this case, that disappointment lasted only a few seconds though because in that moment, the most important thing was to let that team know how much their efforts were appreciated.

pic.twitter.com/UtCZ2hArTU

— SensChirp (@SensChirp) May 2, 2025
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The second wave of disappointment comes the day after. Shock, is probably the best word for it. Watching highlights, reading other people’s thoughts on what went wrong and in my particular case, nursing a devastating hangover. Some people will immediately move on to talking about what went wrong and how they can fix it in the off-season. Some of us will just kind of stare blankly into the distance.

Phase two is honestly worse than phase one.

This morning is the start of phase three. The Void. This is the time when you truly appreciate the scale of the loss and the unsettling void that has been left in their absence. It’s the first day when there should be another game and it’s the first day when you can truly begin to confront how long it’s gonna be until we see them again. It’s when you start to notice all the jerseys and shirts and random memorabilia that has accumulated around the house over the last few weeks and when you begin to consider the possibility of putting some of those things away. I’m not ready to do that yet but soon.

That’s where I’m at this morning.

Appreciation comes next. For the team, for their incredible progress and in my case, for the loyal readers that kept this site going this season. Then there’s Opportunity. Where I’ll start to really consider the strides the team took this year and what they’ll be able to accomplish next season. It’s in here where I’ll start to feel joy again and it will most likely come in the form of each Florida Panthers win. Growth follows opportunity. This is where the mind drifts to the off-season ahead and improvements that can be made to the roster and in my case, ways that we can take this site to the next level. It ends with Excitement. The Draft, Free Agency and an irrationally early countdown towards the first rookie camp scrimmage.

The atmosphere inside CTC after the 2-2 goal during the media timeout. pic.twitter.com/Wtem4d4qmy

— AJ Jakubec (@TheSuperAJ) May 2, 2025
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I’ll get to all of those. Some of your are already onto those last couple steps. But if anyone needs me, I’ll be in The Void until further notice.

Go Sens Go.

The SensChirp Tipjar

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Source: https://senschirp.ca/news/the-void/
 
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