The Ottawa Senators were in high spirits as they closed out 2024 with a 3-1 win in Minnesota against the Minnesota Wild for the first time since March 2016.
Confidence was rightfully riding high for the Senators even with Linus Ullmark injured as the Senators had a 19-15-2 record when 2024 concluded. However, a new year can always offer new challenges for a team to overcome. For the Senators, 2025 has been a brutal start.
Four games into 2025, the Senators are winless and are in danger of falling more in the Eastern Conference standings. With the Senators play in 2025, the time for the Senators to hit a certain button is needed.
Senators can hit panic button after last night's awful loss
After their dreadful 4-0 loss last night to the Buffalo Sabres, the Senators are 0-3-1 in 2025 and are 19-18-3 overall this season. With losing the first four games to start 2025, and currently having a stretch of losing six of their last seven games, the time to hit the panic button has arrived for the Senators.
What also didn't help the Senators last night is the first two teams ahead of them in the standings both won. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-3 and the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Seattle Kraken 6-2.
While the Senators are three points behind the Blue Jackets currently for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, it sure does feel like more. In two of the four games in 2025, the Senators have been shutout. Both ironically were 4-0 losses.
The loss last night against the Sabres was brutal. In two games against the Sabres, who are the worst team in the Eastern Conference at the moment, the Sabres have outscored the Senators 9-1 this season.
To add more pressure on the Senators, nine out of the next 11 games in January are against teams in the Eastern Conference, where the standings can get tighter with every game played. Two of them are against the Washington Capitals, who are the best team in the Eastern Conference. Two games are against the Boston Bruins, who are ahead of the Senators in the standings.
The Senators also have one road game against the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, three teams who have beaten the Senators already this season, and the Islanders won both of their games against the Senators.
The Senators also have to play the Toronto Maple Leafs and Penguins once. Although the Senators have beaten both teams already this season, the Maple Leafs and Penguins will always offer as a tough test for any team.
The two Western Conference teams the Senators will play are the Dallas Stars and Utah Hockey Club. While the Senators did shutout the Hockey Club in October, they did fall eight days ago to the Stars in Dallas.
2025 isn't getting easier for the Senators. The Senators need Ullmark to return in goal as soon as possible with Anton Forsberg struggling. If Ullmark is still going to be out for some time, the season could get worse, especially with who is on the Senators schedule for the rest of January.