For the first time in nearly a decade, the Ottawa Senators have clinched a playoff spot for the 2025 NHL playoffs.
The Sens secured a playoff ticket in the top wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference despite losing to the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 8.
Senators’ goaltending has taken a stride, especially with former Vezina Award winner Linus Ullmark. The franchise is one shutout short of breaking their seasonal record, with 10 after their back-to-back shutout weekend.
Cameron Wyatt, an Ottawa Senators fan since 2010, is happy the Sens have some consistent goaltending.
“One of the things I’m liking about the team right now is our goalie core and how they’ve been able to anchor the team more reliably,” Wyatt said.
“Our number of shutouts this year is just another reflection of the growth of the team on the defensive end,” he said, “a smart decision by the front office as well to bring in Ullmark.”
The Ottawa Senators picked up Ullmark from the Boston Bruins as part of an offseason trade. He’s signed with the Sens for $33 million over four years.
The Sens last made the playoffs in 2017, a run still discussed among their fans today.
Their Stanley Cup run ended in the second overtime period of Game Seven against the Pittsburgh Penguins for the conference final.
After that brutal loss, the Sens struggled to keep up the momentum.
It took them roughly four years to break 70 points in the standings and another four to bring some playoff contention.
Wyatt said he still vividly remembers game seven and “the heartbreak that followed,” but he’s hopeful that the Sens’ efforts won’t go unnoticed this postseason.
“I’m excited and optimistic about the upcoming playoffs. It’ll be exciting to see how they do come postseason if they’ll make another good run,” he said.
“We just have to keep up the tempo they’ve been playing at,” Wyatt said.
Looking forward, Ottawa will most likely face the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the hype has been building for the Battle of Ontario.
If Ottawa faces Tampa, it means the Leafs dropped to second place in the Atlantic.
Although with only two games remaining for the Ontario teams, the Round One opener is seemingly set in stone.
The Battle of Ontario, the 6ix versus the 613, Red vs Blue; fans are buzzing for this matchup, and Wyatt has boarded the hype train.
“The Battle of Ontario would be real entertaining to be able to see, it hasn’t been done since 2004,” he said, “it would make for some pretty exciting hockey.”
