The month of November has been historically poor for the Ottawa Senators, often knocking the team out of playoff contention prior to American Thanksgiving. Over the past four seasons the Senators compiled a 14-31-3 mark during the dreaded month. Though last season was an exception, the club posted a subpar 5-8-1 record, but were able to overcome their mediocore start to the 2024-25 campaign to break their seven-year playoff drought.
However through this weekend at least, the Senators have seemingly put their previous November stumbles to rest.
It took 15 days during the month of November before the Ottawa Senators lost their first game in regulation. And it was a hard-fought 1-0 loss Saturday to the Los Angeles Kings at that. Former Senators netminder Anton Forsberg recorded a 17-save shutout for the Kings, with his defenders blocking another 20 Senators shot attempts. In fact, this defeat was the Senators first in regulation since October 28 in Chicago and only their third since their fifth game this season, October 16.
An impressive run has seen the team earn points in 11 of their past 13 games (8-2-3) – all without the services of Brady Tkachuk. The good news is, the Senators captain is rehabbing well and is performing shooting/stickhanding drills at practice.
Brady Tkachuk to return?
Senators head coach Travis Green said Thursday post-practice, Tkachuk will likely miss another two weeks prior to returning to the lineup after undergoing surgery to his right thumb. Tkachuk’s six to eight week recovery period appears to be on track, though it wouldn’t shock if he returns sooner than later. The Senators do not play until this Thursday in Anaheim, which will mark five weeks post-surgery for Tkachuk.
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A daunting road trip ahead for the Senators
There’s little doubt, this November has been a successful one to date (3-1-3), but there are still six games remaining, all on the road. The Senators are set to embark on what is a seven-game sojourn lasting 13 days, their longest of the season. The trip actually concludes in Montreal December 2.
Thurs Nov 20 @Anaheim
Sat Nov 22 @San Jose
Mon Nov 24 @Los Angeles
Wed Nov 26 @Vegas
Fri Nov 28 @St. Louis
Sun Nov 30 @Dallas
Tues Dec 2 @Montreal
Linus Ullmark knows how tough these upcoming games will be, “I’m looking forward to this opportunity to go on the road, and our goal is to come home with over 50% and 75% (points). You want to win every win every single game. There’s long ones (road trips). It’s gonna be a tough one to do, a lot of good teams as well. So we’ve got to come out right from the gate, and we can’t be sleepy in that first game, because you don’t want to end up having a losing record right from the bat. So it’s important for us to gather our thoughts, gather our energy, and then go back to work on Monday (practice), do the right things again on Thursday,” said the Senators goalie postgame Saturday.
One thing is for certain, if the Senators pull through the trip with at least a .500 record, they will easily remain in contention for a postseason berth. Parity rues the day in the Atlantic Divison and entire Eastern Conference. The club entered Sunday in a tie for second in the divsion with the Montreal Canadiens at 22 points. Five teams are separated by four points in the Atlantic. And on any given night the Senators are challenging for tops in the division or battling for a Wildcard position.
With their captain slated to return, whether it’s later this week or the following one, the Ottawa Senators have set themselves up for another solid run at making the playoffs.
