You need your best to beat the best.
That was the case for the Ottawa Senators in the club’s latest win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. That trend must continue against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.
It was no accident that captain Brady Tkachuk, along with Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig, led the way with two-point efforts in a terrific 6-3 victory over the Hurricanes, because most of them were non-factors in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon.
Challenged by head coach Travis Green to be better, they took the message to heart and helped pick up two points that will be paramount in the club’s bid to make the playoffs for the second straight spring.
“I thought everyone responded with a better game, especially the guys that I didn’t think played very well yesterday,” Green said on Sunday. “We just played a little harder.
“I thought our top players played extremely well tonight. At this time of year, you need your top guys to step up, and I thought they all did.”
The Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk watches the puck enter the net of Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen during the third period in Ottawa on Sunday, April 5, 2026.
Tkachuk’s performance was special. He tipped home the winner on a shot by defenceman Artem Zub at 8:32 of the second. Stutzle’s go-ahead goal in the first period will be shown on highlight reels for years, after he picked up a head of steam, broke in and beat Frederik Andersen.
“It was a superstar moment,” said Tkachuk of Stutzle’s goal. “He just made a great play.”
We will be keeping an eye out for Stutzle on Tuesday at the morning skate because he was on the bench during the third period getting attention from athletic therapist Dom Nicoletta, and played only limited shifts.
Green stated Stutzle will be fine, but he was getting treatment after the game.
The Ottawa Senators’ Tim Stutzle falls to the ice as he tries to play the puck in front of Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen during the third period in Ottawa on Sunday, April 5, 2026.
The Senators played harder versus Carolina, but they also played smarter.
The Wild and Hurricanes are two of the best shutdown teams in the National Hockey League. They limit opportunities and shots. The Senators outshot the Wild badly on Saturday, but weren’t nearly hard enough to play against, which is why Sunday was more like it for Ottawa.
Sitting in a good spot
The Senators are in the final wildcard spot in the East with five games left on the schedule. The Tampa Bay Lightning are here on Tuesday, and the club closes out its five-game homestand versus Matthew Tkachuk’s Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
The victory over the Hurricanes was big because it kept the Senators in control of their own destiny down the stretch. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are still a factor, but they’re fading fast.
Even if the Jackets win on Tuesday night and the Senators don’t get at least a point against the Bolts, Ottawa would still hold the final spot because the club has the tiebreaker over every club still in the race.
The only real threat now is the Metro Division’s Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. The Isles are sitting a point back of the Senators, but have made a coaching change by firing Patrick Roy and installing Peter DeBoer behind the bench for the final four games.
That means the Senators can’t rest on their laurels. The next one against Tampa is the biggest game of the year. They can worry about getting ready to face the Islanders when they leave town on Friday.
As Green noted, his players should embrace the pressure because it will only get more difficult from here.
“These are fun games to play in,” said Green. “You’ve got to love playing in these types of games. You want players that step up when the stakes are the highest. You don’t want players that don’t look forward to these hard games.
“It’s hard to win in the league, it’s hard to win Stanley Cups, and you’ve got to like playing in hard games.”
Carry the ball
Linus Ullmark made back-to-back starts on the weekend, and the expectation is that he’ll play the rest of the way unless the Senators get a playoff spot locked up.
Ullmark made 25 stops in the victory over the Hurricanes.
Since returning from a leave of absence for mental health reasons on Jan. 31, Ullmark has posted an 11-4-3 record in 18 starts with a .894 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average.
That’s the goaltending the Senators need to make the post-season.
Those numbers need to hold or improve down the stretch. It was goaltending that put the Senators in this spot in the first place, and it’s getting the saves that will play a key role in making the playoffs.
The final five
Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Ottawa Senators, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at New York Islanders, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils, Sunday, 7 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Related