Senators’ 4-1 Homestand Sets Up Chance To Clinch Playoff Spot Saturday

As they fought for their playoff lives at the start of April, the Ottawa Senators were glad to get home for a late-season, five-game homestand that ran from April 2-9. They opened that stretch tied with Detroit and Philadelphia, and all three teams were two points out of a wild-card spot held by Columbus.

But the Sens’ homestand wasn’t going to be easy, as four of their five opponents were clearly playoff-bound. Buffalo, Minnesota, Carolina, and Tampa Bay were all high on the guest list to Lord Stanley’s ball, and the fifth opponent was the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers, who had just trampled them a few days earlier.

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The Senators’ performance in the past week was beyond anyone’s expectations.

They split the first two games, beating Buffalo and then losing to Minnesota. After that, they ran the rest of the table, beating Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Florida by a combined score of 17-6, and grabbing 8 of a possible 10 points.

Entering Saturday’s action, every team in the Eastern Conference now has just three regular-season games left to play.

With a little help, the Senators can clinch a playoff spot by Saturday at 8 pm.

The Sens will be in New York to face the Islanders at 1 pm. If they defeat the Islanders in any fashion AND the Red Wings lose to the Devils (5 pm) in any fashion, then it’s time to dust off your playoff car flags.

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The Senators would officially punch their ticket to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

If you want to look at the bigger picture, without looking for help, the Senators will automatically make the playoffs if they can pull three out of a possible six points from their last three games. If they do that, then it’s over. There’s nothing anyone behind them can do to about it.

The Sens will certainly get the best version of the Islanders, who are also fighting for their playoff lives with a new head coach at the helm in Pete DeBoer. But on Sunday, the Sens will have a date with the Devils in a battle of…