The Eastern Conference playoff race is as tight as ever.<\/p>\n
A win on any given night can vault a team into a top-three place in their division, while a loss can drop them out of a playoff spot altogether.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the Senators were on the outside looking in, as they were four points back of the New York Islanders<\/a> for the final wild-card spot. That night, they gained important ground after a big 2-1 win over the New York Rangers<\/a> in the only game on the schedule.<\/p>\n Fast forward to Wednesday morning and the Senators are back in a playoff spot for the first time since Dec. 3 with 85 points after picking up a key 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings<\/a>, who have now fallen out of a playoff spot along with the Islanders. The Senators have ripped off four straight wins, all against Eastern Conference opponents.<\/p>\n Ottawa\u2019s win over Detroit came as the Senators\u2019 blueline is decimated with injuries. Jake Sanderson<\/a>, Thomas Chabot<\/a>, Nick Jensen<\/a>, Lassi Thomson<\/a> and Dennis Gilbert<\/a> are all out, forcing the Sens to recall a pair of rookies in Carter Yakemchuk<\/a> and Jorian Donovan<\/a> from the AHL ahead of Tuesday\u2019s contest.<\/p>\n Yakemchuk, the seventh-overall pick in the 2024 draft, shone with a goal and an assist in his NHL debut on Tuesday with 12:46 of ice time.<\/p>\n Donovan, 21, played 4:42 with a shot on goal.<\/p>\n Senators captain Brady Tkachuk<\/a> praised the two rookie blueliners after last night\u2019s game.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were great,\u201d Tkachuk said.<\/a> \u201cIt\u2019s not just like a regular first game, it\u2019s like a playoff game with the stakes of where we\u2019re at in the season. I thought they handled it so well. It speaks to the preparation that they put in.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a dream come true to play in the National Hockey League and to get the two points at the end. I\u2019m really proud of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Tkachuk also recorded a goal and an assist in last night\u2019s win while goaltender Linus Ullmark<\/a> made 32 saves to secure the victory.<\/p>\n \u201cIt speaks volumes of the character we have, getting in late, back-to-back, two very emotional games and then to come out with two big points here is massive,\u201d said Tkachuk. \u201cIt\u2019s something that we\u2019re going to build on.\u201d<\/p>\n