The funny thing about the Ottawa Senators’ remarkable stretch run is that it took everyone—including, probably, the team itself—a little while to realize that what was happening wasn’t a momentary statistical glitch, but the real thing.
Goalie Andrew Hammond and his team started quietly assembling one improbable win after another, ultimately authoring an incredible Cinderella tale that you can see unfolding in real time if you look back at the opening sentence of each NHL.com game recap.
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS: | Broadcast Schedule
Rogers GameCentre LIVE | Stanley Cup Playoffs Fantasy Hockey
New Sportsnet app: iTunes | Google Play
February 18
OTTAWA — Andrew Hammond made 42 saves and won his first start in the NHL when the Ottawa Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 at Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.
February 21
OTTAWA — Goaltender Andrew Hammond won his second straight NHL start, and the Ottawa Senators won two games in a row for the first time in seven weeks, a 4-1 victory against the Florida Panthers at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.
February 25
Rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond is doing his best to keep the Ottawa Senators’ playoff hopes alive.
February 26
LOS ANGELES — Andrew Hammond stood in front of the scrum of reporters and stated what everybody was thinking regarding his meteoric rise. “It’s obviously pretty crazy what’s going on right now,” Hammond said.
February 28
SAN JOSE — First-year goaltender Andrew Hammond’s two-game shutout streak ended Saturday, but he kept his NHL record perfect and led the surging Ottawa Senators to their fifth straight victory, defeating the slumping San Jose Sharks 4-2 at SAP Center on Saturday.
March 3
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Matt Dumba has always been a defenseman with an offensive flair. Those skills were on display Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. Dumba scored twice, helping the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 shootout win at Xcel Energy Center.
March 4
WINNIPEG — The Ottawa Senators continued their late-season push toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre on Wednesday.
March 6
OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond is 7-0-1 as an NHL starter after a come-from-behind 3-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres at Canadian Tire Centre on Friday.
March 8
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators blew a four-goal lead in the third period but still earned two points with a 5-4 shootout win against the Calgary Flames at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday in goalie Craig Anderson’s return to the Ottawa net.
March 10
OTTAWA — Boston Bruins forward Ryan Spooner returned home and scored twice in a 3-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.
March 12
MONTREAL — Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond is off to a start the likes of which the NHL hasn’t seen since 1938.
March 13
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Andrew Hammond is known as “The Hamburglar,” a nickname he got in college because he robbed opposing shooters and stole wins. The goalie did that for the Ottawa Senators on Friday, making 34 saves, including 22 in the second period of a 2-1 win against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.
March 15
OTTAWA – Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond is 10-0-1 to start his NHL career after a 2-1 shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday
March 17
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Ottawa Senators continued their improbable late-season run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Tuesday.
March 19
OTTAWA — Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond gave up more goals than usual, but he is still unbeaten in regulation as a starter in the NHL.
March 21
OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond remained undefeated in regulation as an NHL starter, and Kyle Turris had his second straight two-goal game to help the Senators to a 5-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.
March 23
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators are in a playoff spot for the first time since late November after a 5-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks at Canadian Tire Centre on Monday and another win by goaltender Andrew Hammond, who is 14-0-1 as a starter in the NHL.
March 26
OTTAWA — The New York Rangers became the first team to clinch a berth in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs with their 5-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.
It was the first regulation loss in the 17-game NHL career of Ottawa goalie Andrew Hammond, who started 14-0-1.
Mar 28
TORONTO — The Ottawa Senators gave up three third-period goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on Saturday.
March 29
OTTAWA — The Florida Panthers kept their hopes for a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs alive and damaged the Ottawa Senators’ chances with a 4-2 victory at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday.
March 31
DETROIT — The Ottawa Senators kept pace in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 shootout victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday.
April 2
OTTAWA — Patrick Wiercioch scored with 16.9 seconds left in overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.
April 4
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators nearly let a big win, and potentially their hopes of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, get away. Kyle Turris made sure they didn’t.
April 5
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs will not play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but they are proving to be a thorn in the side of the Ottawa Senators, who still have a chance to get in.
April 7
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators are insisting on taking this race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference down to the wire.
April 9
NEW YORK — The Ottawa Senators moved into a Stanley Cup Playoff position and took control of their fate Thursday after being 14 points out two months ago.
April 11
PHILADELPHIA — The Ottawa Senators remarkable run has carried them into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the go-ahead goal Saturday in the second period and goaltender Andrew Hammond made 34 saves to help the Senators to a 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. The win clinched a playoff berth for Ottawa, which is 23-4-4 in its final 31 games.
