Championship experience is needed for any NHL roster. To get championship experience on a young roster, the Ottawa Senators signed Michael Amadio to a three-year deal this past free agency. Amadio was part of the Vegas Golden Knights' 2023 Stanley Cup championship roster.
Amadio had a fresh start and another Senators tenure by joining the team prior to the season. For the first four months of the season, Amadio was struggling and underperforming.
If the Senators were going to make a serious playoff push, the team needed Amadio to show his championship experience more than ever. Now, the rise of Amadio has been a significant help to the Senators' hot March.
Amadio's play in March has been important for Senators' playoff push
From October-January, Amadio had recorded 11 points. In February, things started to turn for Amadio when he scored a goal in three of the first four games of the month. Amadio's goal on Feb. 1 against the Minnesota Wild helped him end a 26-game goal drought.
Then, Amadio closed out February by going pointless in the final three games of the month. Since March started, the Senators have seen a big turnaround in Amadio's game to help get the Senators in a playoff position.
In 13 games in March, Amadio has recorded nine points. Six of Amadio's nine points have been goals. Amadio came into March with five goals scored on the season, now he's producing goal scoring at a pivotal time to help the Senators clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2017.
Two of Amadio's goals in March have been game-winning goals. In the Senators' 4-3 win last night against the Detroit Red Wings, Amadio came through big for the Senators.
After Patrick Kane scored a powerlay goal 5:25 into the third period for the Red Wings to cut the Senators' lead to 3-1, Amadio responded by scoring a goal 3:19 later to put the Senators back up by three goals.
We knew this was a good goal right away 🤷♂️#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/way6i7vg4g
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 28, 2025
Amadio's goal turned out to be a huge goal as the Red Wing scored two goals late in the third period to make it a one goal game. With the Red Wings unable to score in the final minute, Amadio picked up the game-winning goal. With the win, the Senators now have 81 points on the season to remain in the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and have also recorded a 9-3-1 record in March.
Amadio's first season back in Ottawa was looking like a major down year, but when the Senators needed Amadio to help the team get the team back into playoff position, he's been an incredible boost in March.
The Senators and Amadio will return to action tomorrow night at p.m. ET when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. At the moment, the Blue Jackets are eight points behind the Senators in the playoff hunt. Tomorrow offers as another chance for the Senators to gain ground on teams behind them.