Senators back on home ice for playoffs after 8-year drought

David Fraser · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Ottawa Senators fans volition ticker a home playoff crippled contiguous for the archetypal clip successful 8 years.

The squad is looking to propulsion person to a Toronto Maple Leafs squad that has jumped retired to a two-game lead successful what has truthful acold been a scrappy best-of-seven series.

After losing both games successful Toronto, the Sens travelled backmost to Ottawa to hole for Games 3 and 4 successful the nation's capital.

Players had an off-ice workout at the Canadian Tire Centre Wednesday earlier gathering with reporters.

Although they trail in the series, the players are confident astir their chances of a comeback.

"I mean the playoffs, you got to determination connected arsenic speedy arsenic you tin from games," said Ottawa guardant Drake Batherson. "Lots of excitement, tons of assurance successful the group."

Thus far, the series has largely delivered connected the play expected from provincial rivals that hadn't met successful the Stanley Cup playoffs successful much than two decades. Games are accelerated and physical. Overtime was needed in Game 2.

Physicality betwixt Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz and Sens guardant Ridly Greig helped acceptable the tone for the archetypal 2 games.

In Game 1, Greig crashed into the Leafs netminder. In Game 2, Greig was a top people for Leafs players — and received respective blows from Stolarz — but helium shrugged disconnected critics and doubled-down connected playing the relation of pest.

"People tin benignant of accidental immoderate they want," helium told reporters. "I'm conscionable trying to spell retired determination and play, benignant of conscionable bash immoderate I tin to effort to assistance the guys win."

Sens goalie Linus Ullmark said helium was anxious to beryllium playing again successful beforehand of a location crowd.

"I don't adjacent cognize if I tin ideate it," helium said. "I'm excited astir seeing what the Ottawa instrumentality basal tin bring. I'm truly excited astir that."

Greig said determination volition beryllium a "different vibe" playing astatine location and added he tin consciousness the excitement astir the city.

"Fans person been looking guardant to this for a portion now, truthful I'm looking guardant to get retired there," helium said.

Ottawa manager Travis Green said helium expects his squad to proceed playing hard for a full 60 minutes on Thursday night.

"We privation to travel retired and found our game. We privation to play with purpose, and yet we request to marque definite that we're playing whistle to whistle and playing a precise disciplined game," helium said. "But we're looking guardant to it, I tin archer you that."

The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m.