A quick thought in preparation for Tuesday's game against New York.
Ottawa's down to must-win territory. Their chances at reaching the post-season are well under ten-percent, and barring a miraculous finish to the season, they will not be reaching the playoffs. This is a reality Ottawa's going to have to live with. Now, and through a gruelingly long summer, I suspect.
But, if you're a player ready to dig in and mount one last fight, Tuesday's the perfect time to start. There's a heap of teams in between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators, and a number of points to boot. Ottawa's game against New York is effectively a four-point swing game, though it's sort of irrelevant when you have clubs like Washington, Columbus, Detroit, New Jersey, etc. all in the mix.
I'm less interested in seeing how Ottawa reacts down the stretch to their seemingly-inevitable fate, and more interested in seeing whether Ottawa actually puts together a tough effort, or mails it in. I think there's something to be said about the character of the individuals and the collective when they show up ready to work, even in a position where there's very likely not going to be a reward come mid-April.
Two big quotes from the weekend, I thought:
"It was a big weekend for us and we lose both games," captain Jason Spezza said. "We played good, but it's a different way to lose every night and results are the only thing that matter right now."
"You've gotta believe," said winger Chris Neil following the club's 3-1 loss to the Avalanche at home. "We've said that right from Day One."We've got to stick with it. As long as you've still got a chance to get in. Not winning the last two makes it a lot tougher. We hold out hope here. We've just got to get ready for the next one."
No word on the starting goaltenders, though I'm guessing Craig Anderson might be ready to return. He missed both weekend games after taking a beating against Nashville last Monday, paving the way for Robin Lehner to see both Montreal and Colorado in the back-to-back spot.
On the other end of the rink, expect Henrik Lundqvist (.917 SV%, 2.47 GAA) to get the start.
Puck drops at 7:30 PM ET.
Thanks for reading!