The Ottawa Senators are battling a tough stretch at the moment. After losing 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, the Senators have now lost five of their last six games.
With the six-game stretch, the Senators now find themselves out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Every game played in the East makes the standings more tighter and competitive.
Whenever a new year arrives, a team has a to-do list to begin the new year. With the tough stretch the Senators are in right now, their to-do list is easier said than done, but it needs to be done quickly before the season could get worse.
Senators to-do list needs to show resiliency
Yesterday, Bleacher Report's Sara Civian wrote an article titled "New Year's To-Do List for Every NHL Team in 2025." Civian's to-do list for the Senators was to "show some resiliency."
"Just as the Senators were getting their groove back after November, starting goalie Linus Ullmark is now injured," Civian said.
There's no doubt that Ullmark's injury right before Christmas has caused an impact on the Senators. Ullmark's injury came on Dec. 22 against the Edmonton Oilers when the Senators fell 3-1.
Ullmark is needed in goal for the Senators to be a better team. Anton Forsberg and Leevi Merilainen have been inconsistent with Ullmark missing the past five games. Mads Sogaard started one game, but earned a loss.
"What is this team made of?" Civian said. "Showing some direction and resiliency without the netminder would be a statement. Tuesday's overtime loss wasn't that, though."
Tuesday's loss put the Senators at 19-17-3 on the season. The Senators were in a playoff spot before the Christmas break, but now have fallen out of a playoff spot with currently having 41 points.
While the Senators need Forsberg and Merilainen to be strong in the net with Ullmark out, the offense needs to be better as well. Three games into 2025, the Senators have scored just four goals. On Jan. 3 against the St. Louis Blues, the Senators were shutout 4-0.
Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson are still carrying the offensive load for the Senators, but the team needs more offensive production. Adam Gaudette has gone cold offensively with having a 12-game goal drought. The Senators need to get more out of Claude Giroux, who only has nine goals this season.
Ottawa needs more from its depth from players like Ridly Greig, Nick Cousins, Shane Pinto and Noah Gregor.
Tonight's game against the Buffalo Sabres is a pivotal game to not only get back on track, but to avenge an awful 5-1 loss from Nov. 5 in Buffalo. Puck drop for tonight's game is at 7 p.m. ET at Canadian Tire Centre.