Another victory moves the Ottawa Senators a step closer to a playoff return

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There were 90 seconds left in the third period, and the full house at the Canadian Tire Centre broke into a chant that has become a tradition this spring in this building.

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“We want playoffs,” the crowd of 18,611 screamed as the seconds ticked down in the Ottawa Senators’ 3-0 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon.

“It’s awesome,” said winger Drake Batherson. “Every weekday game is pretty much a sellout, you come out for warmup and it’s jammed. I’ve never seen the buzz like this.

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“It creates momentum for our group. You come out, and you hear that crowd. Even with ‘Oh Canada’ it’s so awesome to be playing in a Canadian market at times like these for sure.”

There is an excitement in this city that hasn’t surrounded the Senators since they went to the Eastern Conference final in 2017. The rink was electric when the puck was dropped with the defending Stanley Cup champions in town.

The Senators are so close to clinching a playoff spot that they can see the finish line. The journey to this point hasn’t been easy, but it’s within grasp with six games in the season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be in town on Sunday for a 5 p.m. puck drop to start a home-and-home series that will wrap up on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.

The core led by captain Brady Tkachuk, along with alternate captain Thomas Chabot, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig and Jake Sanderson can achieve this together.

Yes, centre Josh Norris, traded to the Buffalo Sabres at the March 7 trade deadline, a deal that brought back Dylan Cozens, played a role in all this, but changes had to be made to make this club better.

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This group is excited to be playing games that mean this much.

“It’s definitely a lot of fun,” said Chabot, the longest-serving Senators’ player, last week. “This has been the goal all season. The guys have all stepped up their games in different ways this year and got us to that point.

“There is a lot of hockey left. I don’t want to sound corny or anything, but we won’t stop until we’re actually confirmed to make the playoffs. We want to keep on winning games, keep on playing some good games and that’s what we’ve been focusing on.”

The Senators have recorded more than 40 wins for the 13th time in franchise history, and in the other 12 times that happened, they qualified for the playoffs. This was Ottawa’s 41st victory.

The fact they’re in this position means a lot to a guy like Chabot, who has been through so much since he was taken No. 18 overall in 2015. He has seen teammates come and go in the 507 career games he’s suited up with the Senators. He wants to make the next step.

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“It’s been a heavy road for sure. There have been a lot of downs,” Chabot said. “The ultimate goal was to be in the position we are at this time of year. That’s what it’s all about for all of us in this room.

“It’s not just me, I’ve been here for eight years, but there are a lot of other guys who have been here for a long time as well. We’re lucky to do what we do, show up at the rink and be with your buddies every day. None of us will be satisfied until we’re in that goal of making the playoffs.

“We’re just happy where we’re at right now and the whole city feels it. We’ve got the entire group of fans behind us, and they’re in there with us as players. They’ve supported us through some really tough years.”

That’s why making the playoffs would be meaningful for this group.

“You go through a lot of learning curves altogether,” Chabot said. “Losing, you learn a lot about yourself and your teammates. That’s what we’ve learned the last couple of years. On losing teams, a lot of teams don’t split apart, but they get away from each other a bit.

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“We’ve kept the group tight in this room, and we’re all pushing towards the same goal even if it almost seemed impossible at times. To be here now, we’ve got some great guys in this room, and it’s been a blast. We came in this year, and everybody stepped up their game in different ways. It doesn’t necessarily mean scoring goals every night.”

The key with this group is that they keep finding a way to win. The fans love it, and the Senators can feel the energy.

“We’ve got a group that really wants to win badly,” said coach Travis Green. “Everyone says they want to win badly, but are you willing to make changes to win. We’ve got guys that shown that they are.”

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