I know a certain segment of the readership doesn't like the term "must-win" so I will try to avoid using that term today.
Everyone knows just how important this game against the Bruins is for the Senators to at least come away with two points, preferably in regulation. The Senators sit 4 points back of the Bruins with a game in hand, and the finish line is in sight. The Capitals occupy the first Wild Card spot, 7 points up on the Senators who have 2 games in hand.
This is a chance for the Senators to claw their way closer in the race that could have been tied if the Senators had been able to solve Tuukka Rask last week.
Boston comes in off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres so you can imagine they will be a little more motivated for this one. Rask didn't even dress for the Buffalo game due to "general soreness", so his status is in a little bit of doubt. Rask was surprised at the scratching, so no doubt the Bruins were saving him for this one and the remaining schedule with Nicklas Svedberg getting the start against Buffalo.
If the Senators' top line of Bobby Ryan, Mika Zibanejad and Mike Hoffman could get off their current slide, tonight would be a good time to do it, as the Bruins were the team that they began this 5 game slump against.
There are no more superlatives to describe the run Andrew Hammond is on, but the fact that the team is giving out Hamburglar masks to fans less than a month after making his first NHL start is proof positive of the way he has taken this city by storm and Hamburglarmania is running wild. Hammond will set the NHL record for most consecutive starts to begin a career by allowing 2 goals or less if he can accomplish that feat tonight. For his part, after Sunday's 2-1 home ice shootout win against Philadelphia, Hammond said that he was aware of his proximity to the record, but the most important thing at this point in time was wins, whether they were 2-1 or 6-5.
After tonight's game the gap will not be 4 points any longer, but could be anywhere else between 2 and 6 points. The former would have the Senators in great shape, while the latter would put yet another huge dent in their playoff chances.
So, while it might not be absolutely positively "must-win", another loss to the Bruins would mean an 8 point swing in just over a week and would make the Senators' lives much more difficult over the last 12 games. This amazing run can't last forever, clawing back 6 points again over that span would be incredibly tough, and a single loss at this point could be the end, especially if it comes in a 4 pointer.
The loss last week was a 4 point swing, and that is what the Senators trail by now. If they had won that one, this could have been a showdown for sole possession of the playoff spot. But can't dwell on the past and what might have been, and the Senators can move back into the position where they almost regain control of their own destiny with a win.