The Ottawa Senators have been through a lot during this 2025-26 NHL regular season, but have emerged better than ever and are in a good spot going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s been a long and wild ride. After all the ups and downs, the Ottawa Senators find themselves on the right side of the playoff cutline. The Senators’ season was a treacherous one, filled with long stretches of goalie troubles, controversial public statements, and many injuries. It was doubtful for a long while that they would find their way in, but ultimately they bore down when it mattered most.
Ottawa Senators 2025-26 NHL Season
On January 12th, they were tied for last in the Eastern Conference. Towards the end of January, they were nine points out of a playoff spot and Linus Ullmark‘s status was up in the air. It looked like another year in a series of gloomy years in recent memory for Senators fans. But they turned it around shortly after.
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On Jan. 25, a 7-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights changed everything. From then on, they went 21-6-4, the best record in the NHL in that stretch. How were they able to accomplish this feat? They trusted the process and stuck to head coach Travis Green’s system. It was fantastic.
Defensive Systems and Adjustments
Before this run, the Senators’ defensive structure was impeccable, but their main downfall was their weak goaltending. They had a league-worst .864 team save percentage on January 24th and had cycled through five goalies. When Ullmark returned from his mental health leave on January 31st, it was noticeably a huge boost for the team. He’s played the majority of the games since then and his play greatly improved. This finally gave the Senators the safety blanket they needed.
The Senator’s other glaring deficiency in the first half of the season was a penalty kill that was 31st in the league on January 23rd. Travis Green had to make an adjustment and he did. He replaced assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner with Mike Yeo to run the penalty kill. The Senators have had the sixth-best penalty kill since then. With their two major weaknesses addressed, the young and talented group took charge.
Individual Standouts
Tim Stutzle elevated his game to another level, returning to point-per-game status while dominating games. Despite a major thumb injury, Brady Tkachuk has been close to a point-per-game player as well. Also, Jake Sanderson cemented himself as a NorrisTrophy-calibre defenceman, and he formed one of the best pairs in the league with Artem Zub.
Drake Batherson hit a career high in goals and points and Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio became one of the best shutdown duos in the league. General manager Steve Staios also boosted the right side of the defence with a great depth addition in Jordan Spence. He reached career highs in every offensive category and helped keep the team above water when Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson were hurt. They very well could’ve missed without his efforts.
Dylan Cozens also rebounded and found new life in his new home as he lead the team in power play goals and his line with Tkachuk and Ridly Greig posted the best expected goals of any line in the NHL.
Moments of Adversity
We could be here all day heaping individual praise on players, but a big reason why they are where they are is the way the team collectively overcame every hurdle that came their way.
Team USA at the Olympics was a very exciting time for the sport of ice hockey and allowing the world to come together to celebrate the great game at its highest level for a couple of hours. The comments from Keith Tkachuk on the Wingmen podcast and the social media rumours surrounding Ullmark were rocky moments as well. It certainly was an eventful year both on and off the ice.
Travis Green played a huge role in helping them overcome said adversity. There’s a real case to be made for him as the coach of the year as a result of that. The way he’s changed the culture of the team in two years is astounding. They’ve gone from a young group that was susceptible to wilting under pressure to a group that can preserve through tough moments.
This edition of the Senators can be a tough, pesky out. After all they’ve been through and now with a bit of playoff experience under their belt, they could even be a scary team.
Looking Ahead to the Hurricanes
Analytics aren’t the be all and end all, but they do tell a story. The Senators are top five in the league in expected goals, shot differential, scoring changes and high-danger chances differential at 5-on-5. This isn’t a team that got lucky or just rode the coattails of one person, they are legit.
Everything suggests that this is a team that could do some serious damage. Their superstars are all in their prime. It could be a breakout moment for the Senators. It is also preferable to be the team that has been red hot for months and at the top of their game going in to the playoffs. As they go into their first round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, they must be feeling good.
That’s not to say that the Hurricanes will be a pushover, but there are certainly red flags there that the Senators can exploit. The biggest of which is goaltending, which has been extremely suspect for the Hurricanes of late. It will be a tight checking, defensive kind of series, but the Senators have fully shown that they are comfortable playing that style.
Maybe this playoff run for the Senators is just a little blip, but it could be a lengthy run. The way the season played out was almost perfect. They faced a ton of adversity early, navigated through all of it and have been playing terrific hockey for months. It very well could translate into something special here.
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