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The Ottawa Senators weren't blessed with a game on Boxing Day, but the extra day of preparation may go a long way as the team enters into a pivotal five-game stretch.
Ottawa's played fantastic hockey for the past month or so, but pretending that this team wasn't blessed upon entering the holiday season would be an incredibly tough sell. A once-terrifying stretch against the likes of Florida, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo(2x) turned into very-winnable games against clubs decimated by injuries. The wins count the same, but it does put everything into perspective when you realize that the same stretch a couple of months down the road might have been far more tragic.
Now, Ottawa's jumping into the softer part of the schedule, with a serious chance to make headway in the Eastern Conference. As it stands today, Ottawa's holding onto that final playoff spot, up a pair of points on 9th-place Winnipeg. The next five games offer a serious chance to increase the lead on other competitors, but they'll need to meet the challenge head-on.
Over the next week and change, Ottawa will tangle with the likes of Montreal, Calgary, @Buffalo, New Jersey, and Tampa Bay. The collective record of these five teams? A paltry 79-77-18. As it stands right now, just one of those teams - New Jersey - is playing impressive hockey, and they're still in fourth-place thanks to that gauntlet of teams in the Atlantic division.
Even better, Ottawa draws four of the five at home, where they've posted a 10-7-1 record. Not overwhelming, but certainly better than the 7-7-4 record they've pieced together away from Scotiabank Place.
For what its worth, the total road record of the four teams paying visit to Ottawa is 32-39-6. And, the only team Ottawa draws on the road in Buffalo simply can't win at home. The Sabres are just 8-9-3 in front of their home crowd this season, giving Ottawa a real shot at stealing some more points.
My point? This is a big, big chance for Ottawa to gain some separation from the rest of the pack. Paul MacLean and the rest of the coaching staff have to be cognizant of the opportunity presented here, especially with how crowded the middle of the Eastern Conference has become. Anything less than six points would be a severe disappointment, whereas a seven-to-nine point swing would do wonders for this club.
For the sake of painting a picture here, let's assume that Ottawa runs through this five-game tilt with a 3-1-1 record - very doable, considering that they'll be favorites in at least three - if not four - of the games. Seven points would give them 46P in 41GP, putting them on pace for a 92-point season.
With the mediocrity in the middle, my guess is that the 90-point threshold will decide the fate of this club, so long as the OTL don't pile up out of nowhere late in the year. Make it, they'll dance. Miss it, they'll head home early.
In the end, I just can't believe we're talking playoff potential with this team near the end of the December. Crazy, isn't it?
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Here's how the team skated on Monday, as they prepare for the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday:
Michalek-Spezza-Alfredsson
Foligno-Turris-Butler
Greening-Smith-Neil
Condra-Konopka-Daugavins
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