As shocking as it still might be for some, the Ottawa Senators will be competing for the 2025 Stanley Cup after not making the playoffs since 2017.
The Senators have caught the eyes of fans with their depth and determination to get back to the big stage. As the Senators get set to play the Philadelphia Flyers today at 1 p.m. ET, it's another crucial game to gain momentum into the first round.
Most players on the Senators's roster might not have the greatest playoff experience. However, there is one Senator who has previous playoff experience that shocked people with how underappreciated it was at the time.
Highmore had solid 2020 playoff performance in the Bubble
In the 2019-20 season, Matthew Highmore was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Due to COVID-19, the NHL suspended the season in March 2020.
It then led to the NHL creating a 24-team playoff format with the Blackhawks being one of the teams competing in the 2020 playoffs in the Bubble. It was there where Highmore showed promise.
While playing in nine games in the 2020 playoffs for Chicago, Highmore shocked people with recording four points in the playoffs. Three of Highmore's points were goals.
The Blackhawks managed to defeat the Edmonton Oilers in four games in the qualifying round before being eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2020 playoffs in five games. However, Highmore's four points helped him crack the top 10 among Chicago's roster. One of Highmore's three goals was a game-winning goal in Game 4 of the Vegas series.
This season, Highmore saw a huge high when he scored his first goal as a Senator in his second game played of the season in January after not scoring a goal since April 2022, to then going into a 33-game goal drought. Highmore has recorded six points in 39 games played this season.
Despite low point scoring, Highmore has shown his speed and determination to get in the opponent's head this season. Highmore has been able to draw penalties to create powerplays for the Senators. For a fourth liner, Highmore averaging over 11 minutes of ice time per game has helped the Senators this season.
Some may not know about Highmore's experience from 2020, but his playoff experience could lead to the Senators giving him a chance and have him in the lineup this Spring for the 2025 playoffs.