The Ottawa Senators' season looked to be in danger of spiralling, but rookie goalie Leevi Merilainen has given them a new lease on life, says Adam Proteau.

Ullmark has been out of Ottawa's lineup since Dec. 22 when he left a game after one period of play in Edmonton with back tightness. It sounded precautionary at the time but turned out to be reasonably serious. This is Ullmark's second stint on the injury list. He missed a couple of weeks of action back in mid-October.

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The Bruins are currently in a playoff spot but a lot of times are coming for them. First up on Saturday, the Ottawa Senators.

Belleville Senators forward Tyler Boucher, Brantford Bulldogs 20-year-old Tomas Hamara (who is signed) and big Finnish defenseman Eerik Wallenius were also considered for the fourth tier and are comparable prospects to the final four players ranked.

Opening faceoff is at 7 p.m. ET and you can watch it on ESPN+ ( plans start at $11.99/month). Washington (29-10-5, in the Metropolitan Division) last played on Tuesday night and beat visiting Anaheim 3-0 as Logan Thompson stopped all 19 shots. The Capitals are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games.

You can debate which of the Senators’ needs — a scoring forward, another defenceman, possibly some goaltending help — is more pressing but the recent skid, about two months before the trade deadline, has amplified the need for general manager Steve Staios to make a move.

After a sluggish start to the 2024-25 season, the Ottawa Senators have straightened themselves out a bit and have put themselves firmly in the playoff race. There is still a lot of hockey to play ...

Ottawa Senators Alumni Association Participates in Local Charity Game to Raise Money for Food Bank

Chychrun returned to Ottawa this week as the top-scoring defenceman on the top team in the NHL and reflected on his time with the Senators.

OTTAWA -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 874th NHL goal at 3:07 of overtime, giving the Washington Capitals a 1-0 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.