Senators gaining valuable experience during playoff push

MANALAPAN, Fla. -- The last time the Ottawa Senators played at home, they defeated the Boston Bruins 6-3 on March 13. After seven seasons without the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the fans let it be known how desperately they want Ottawa to end its drought.

"WE WANT PLAYOFFS!" they chanted. "WE WANT PLAYOFFS!"

"That's the ultimate goal for this group," general manager Steve Staios said at the NHL GM meeting this week. "But there's so much hockey yet to be played. The standings are so tight. There's so many quality teams in and around us that we want to stay focused."

The Senators hold the first wild card in the Eastern Conference entering their game against the Colorado Avalanche at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, ALT).

They're four points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens, who hold the second wild card in the East, after a six-game winning streak ended with a 6-3 loss in Montreal on Tuesday.

The New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are all within seven points, and the Senators have 15 games to go.

Asked about the importance of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and the rest of this core gaining experience in the playoffs, Staios talked about the importance of them gaining experience in the stretch run.

"I still think we have to understand the process on playing these games," Staios said. "This is the first time that this group of players, this core group of players, has played in these games, and I think that's what they're focused on, rather than looking at what it means to be in the playoffs. We're not there yet.

"And so, I think it's hugely important for us to keep the mindset on where it's at, and I was interested to see how they would be able to handle this time of the year, and we'll continually grow as a group."

The Senators held the second wild card in the East -- with the Rangers, Canadiens, Red Wings, Bruins and Islanders all within three points -- at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7.

They acquired center Dylan Cozens, defenseman Dennis Gilbert and a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Buffalo Sabres for center Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker.

They also acquired forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Tristen Robins and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks for forwards Noah Gregor and Zack Ostapchuk and a second-rounder in 2025.

"I'm proud of the group, the players, the commitment that they've shown," Staios said. "It kind of led to the deadline, looking to try and do something to help this group, because they've shown that they've taken a step."

Cozens has five points (two goals, three assists) in six games for Ottawa.

"When you look at our group and you look at our center ice position and what I had to give up to get him, it changes the profile, really," Staios said. "Stutzle's a dynamic offensive player. Dylan's shown that he's able to create offense. He's also a big body (at 6-foot-3, 207 pounds), and he plays the game the right way. He's heavy.

"And so, and with Shane Pinto in the mix, with those three centermen, I really like where we're at with that."

Zetterlund has no points in five games for Ottawa, but he had 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 64 games with San Jose.

"I think that he's going to continue to get opportunity," Staios said. "It's a bit of a challenge for a player to come into a system and really feel comfortable with it, what our coaching staff wants from him. He's fully capable of doing it. I think it's just a little bit of a comfort level and a matter of time."

The Senators' style is suited for this time of year. After Detroit lost 2-1 in Ottawa on March 10 despite a 49-23 shots advantage, the Red Wings made telling comments.

"We were prepared for a battle," Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. "We were prepared to play along the boards. We were prepared to play in the blue paint. Sometimes the whistle goes, and there's more play after that."

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said, "We knew that it was going to be a physical, kind of chippy game going in there, like it always is."

That's what Staios wants to hear.

"That's the identity," he said. "I think we can be proud of that, teams knowing that it's going to be a tough night against us, and that goes with the commitment from the players and playing that way, because it's hard. It's a challenge every night to be able to do it.

"Again, I felt compelled going into deadline watching our team bring that consistent effort. We're not perfect. We went through some dips. But man, I was proud of the step that they took having that identity being hard to play against. I was looking at everything I could do to make sure that I could add to that this opportunity at the deadline."

What does Staios want to see now? What will show growth down the stretch?

"Just the consistent effort," he said. "I think the checking in particular. I think when we're on our game, we really skate, and we check. We check hard. And that's been a great step forward for our group as a whole but also as individuals. You can look at Brady's game and Tim's game, and the maturity over one year has been incredible. Just consistently being that hard team to play against."