Senators' wild-card race hopes slipping away after blown opportunity on big night

OTTAWA – Margins are small at this time of the year.

Margins in the “meaningful games” being played.

Margins to earn a playoff berth.

The Ottawa Senators got a taste of this on the long weekend when they came oh-so-close to winning two of three games but instead ended up with three points out of six. All because of a blown 3-1 third-period lead against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

Chicago won the game, 4-3, in overtime.

That this was also the night the Senators honoured Chris Neil by retiring his jersey, did not sit well with captain Brady Tkachuk.

“That can’t happen, especially tonight, where we’re honouring a Sens legend and a legend in this community ... to lay an egg there in 10 minutes when his whole family, his friends and former players are here, it just stings,” Tkachuk said.

The Senators rebounded on Sunday afternoon to hammer the depleted St. Louis Blues, 7-2.

And then Ottawa fell 3-1 to the Boston Bruins on Monday afternoon in Boston, a result that wasn’t surprising given the back-to-back situation against the NHL’s top team.

That loss would have been a lot more palatable if the Senators could have finished off the Blackhawks, to set up a four-point weekend. The Sens sit six points behind the second wild-card spot in the East, with five teams ahead of them contending for that spot.

Other than better finish around the net, there wasn’t a lot to complain about on matinee Monday, which was Presidents' Day in the U.S. and Family Day in Ontario.

The Sens allowed the Bruins’ David Pastrnak a little too much room and that was costly as Pastrnak scored on a snipe from just beyond the crease and on a breakaway deke against rookie goalie Kevin Mandolese.

“We made two mistakes on (No.) 88, and he scores on both,” said Senators head coach D.J. Smith.

Tkachuk hit the post in close, but a goal by Claude Giroux late in the first period was Ottawa’s only goal.

“They’re the best in the league for a reason,” Tkachuk said. “For the most part, we were punch for punch against them.”

Tkachuk added that his group “wanted to leave it all out there,” knowing that they don’t play again until Friday.

Now, about that schedule.

Due to the postponed game on Dec. 23 against the Detroit Red Wings that was added to next week, the Sens find themselves playing three consecutive back-to-back scenarios: Sunday-Monday this past weekend, then Friday-Saturday on the road against Carolina and Montreal, and then next Monday-Tuesday (Feb. 27-28) in Ottawa with a pair of games against the Red Wings.

It is bizarre, but the schedule settles into a more normal flow of games in March.

However, nine of Ottawa’s 15 games in March are on the road.

Young goalies shine

Fans have gotten used to the idea that the Senators' young goaltenders step in and give their team a chance to win every game.

Think of what a disaster it might have been, with Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg both injured, had prospects Mandolese and Mads Sogaard not filled in so admirably, at times spectacularly, this past week.

In his three starts, Sogaard was 2-0-1 with a 2.86 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Sogaard was outstanding in Ottawa’s comeback overtime win against Calgary on Feb. 13.

Not to be outdone, Mandolese sits 1-1-0 with a 2.46 goals-against and .938 save percentage. Mandolese’s NHL debut was a work of art, a 46-save, 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Feb. 14.

Where would the Sens be without this pair?

Talbot is close to a return, however, and it makes sense to get him sharp again, whether to help the Senators down the stretch or as a trade chip at the deadline.

Stützle star of the week

It was just a matter of time before the rest of the NHL figured out what observers of the Senators have known for weeks – Tim Stützle is blossoming into a superstar right before our eyes.

On Monday, Stützle was named the NHL’s first star of the week after a four-goal, six-assist performance in the four games ending Feb. 19.

Smith wasn’t surprised.

“Every night he’s dangerous for us,” Smith said.

Stützle, 21, has 59 points in 52 games. He leads the Senators in goals with 26 and is second in points, just behind Tkachuk, who has 60.

Motte trade doesn’t tip hand

When Senators general manager Pierre Dorion met with reporters on Thursday, he said he wasn’t sure at this point if he would be a buyer or seller at the March 3 trade deadline. In fact, Dorion said he might be both.

The Sunday trade of veteran winger Tyler Motte back to the New York Rangers for forward Julien Gauthier and a conditional seventh-round pick doesn’t necessarily mean the Senators have gone into “sell” mode.

Adding a young player in Gauthier, who could have some upside (he was a first-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016) is a fit for Dorion’s goal of making trades that make sense for the organization now and in the near future.

For the record, Dorion said he would re-evaluate his team before the March 2 game against the New York Rangers. At that stage, the Sens will decide if they have a legitimate shot at a wild-card spot or will unload some of their pending unrestricted free agents.

Motte was effective for the Rangers in last year’s playoffs, so it was easy to see why they wanted him back. The Senators signed Motte to a one-year contract in September. In 38 games with Ottawa, Motte had three goals and six assists in a checking and penalty-killing role.