I know things seem bleak for the Ottawa Senators right now.
65-year-old Lindy Ruff is the third-longest-tenured (behind Scotty Bowman and Paul Maurice) head coach in the NHL, as he’s set to run the bench for the 1900th time in his career when the Buffalo Sabres and – speak of the devil – Florida Panthers, face off later tonight. Ruff recently coached the Sabres to a 10-game winning-streak, which is more than twice as long as any winning streak the Senators have had this season. If you’re interested in reading Ruff’s recent Q+A on the upcoming milestone, you can read it here.As unbelievable as it is to read about the above, it may very well be topped by this next one: Joonas Korpisalo made 27 saves yesterday for the Boston Bruins, earning a 1-0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Korpisalo’s 1 shutout ties him with all of Ottawa’s netminders (who had a combined nine) this season, and his .894 save percentage dwarfs all of them, as well.The Ottawa Charge have been playing some much better hockey as of late, with an ongoing 5-game winning streak, which is longer than any winning streak the Senators have had this season. They’ve scored 30 goals in 12 games, which in a low-scoring league is 2nd-best among the 8 PWHL teams. It’s also quite cathartic to see the two expansion franchises, Seattle and Vancouver, down in the basement where they belong, despite being given a lot of help in the expansion draft.Over on Sportsnet, Alex Adams wrote about the ticking clock on Ottawa’s window to salvage the season, the club’s dubious record of 9-14-1 since Brady Tkachuk’s return from injury, and how the players have responded to the rumors that have been spreading online about the dressing room.