The Stanley Cup Playoffs don’t start until next month, but tonight’s game between the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings was basically a playoff game.
And that’s weird, because playoff games don’t usually involve the Detroit Red Wings.
With the Sens sitting just one point behind their opponent, with a chance to move into a playoff spot if the out of town scoreboard did them some favours, this game was about as close to must-win as you can get in the regular season, and as the game approached, the odds just kept stacking up against our Senators. They went into the game on the second half of a back-to-back, missing 5 defensemen including their two best, with two rookie defensemen making their NHL debuts, and on top of everything, Detroit’s captain was making his grand return from injury. Had they lost, they would have had a whole lot of excuses available to them. But they didn’t.
When the games are this important, and the injuries start piling up like this, you need players to step up and play the hero. Several Sens players did that tonight.
What a win.
The Sens got off to a rocky start, on their heels right from the jump, and Nick Cousins immediately took a bad penalty, handing the Red Wings a golden opportunity to take an early lead.
Thankfully, Ottawa only gave up one heart-stopping chance on the penalty kill, and managed to kill the penalty without giving up a shot. Once play returned to 5 on 5, Ullmark made a massive stop that would set the tone for the rest of the game.
They settled into the game eventually, but as we’ve come to expect from divisional matchups, it wasn’t pretty. The Sens weren’t controlling the play at anywhere near the way they do against teams outside their division, and it was obvious within the first few minutes of the game that we were not about to see a third straight “fewer than 15 shots against” performance.
The Sens got a makeup call about halfway through the first period, and we got our first look at Yakemchuk on the powerplay, but the team couldn’t really get much going.
Ottawa was back on their heels as soon as the Detroit player left the box, giving up a few grade-A chances that somehow stayed out of the net. They didn’t look like a team missing 3 of their top 4 defensemen, but they didn’t quite look like themselves, either. Ullmark was the main reason the game was still tied, and while you generally don’t want to see your team relying so heavily on their goaltender, it was nice to get confirmation that Ullmark was still capable of bailing out his team.
Jordan Spence took the second Sens penalty of the game, when he dove to take the puck away from a Red Wings player, lost control, and ended up tripping him. If you were worried about who the hell Travis Green was going to put out there for the penalty kill with one of his best defenders in the box, don’t worry! The Sens gave up a goal – to Alex DeBrincat of all people – before they even had to make a line change.
Or did they?
As it turns out, the Red Wings had been offside on the zone entry. Travis Green challenged the goal, it got called back, and the Sens’ penalty killers got just enough rest that Kleven and Zub were able to hop right back on the ice and kill off the rest of the penalty.
A DeBrincat goal called back in an Ottawa Senators game. It’s like he never left.
Greig got tripped soon after that, the Sens got another powerplay opportunity, and this time they finally got things going.
Yakemchuk, who Green had clearly decided was his best option to man the powerplay, sent an absolutely nasty between-the-legs pass to Tim Stützle, who walked right into the offensive zone and put the puck on net. It was tipped in by Brady Tkachuk, but more importantly it was Yakemchuk’s first NHL point! 1-0 Ottawa.
Yak gets his first @NHL point and the #Sens are on the board 🚨#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/pJF9tmpuMd
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 24, 2026
What a way to get your first point.
That would do it for the first period. Not exactly the way they drew it up, but between the lucky break with the DeBrincat goal being offside and the powerplay goal immediately after, it felt like the momentum was swinging in the right direction.
The start of the second period was… fine. Ullmark made some big stops, Yakemchuk got a nice shot on goal, and the Sens mostly sat on their heels letting Ullmark defend the lead for them.
On the bright side, Ullmark was doing a great job keeping the score 1-0!
Just as it was starting to feel like the Red Wings were going to tie it at any moment, Yakemchuk decided he wasn’t done showing off in his NHL debut, scoring his first goal on a fantastic shot from the point. 2-0 Ottawa.
✅ @NHL debut
✅ Second NHL point
✅ First NHL goal#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/wTmjEv5n5K
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 25, 2026
Remember what I said at the start about needing players to step up and play the hero? Yakemchuk did that. In his first NHL game, too. What a player.
Very shortly after that, Eller put the Sens up 3-0.
Larsy gives us a three-goal lead 🚨#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/yUFAgtBMF7
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 25, 2026
Our other rookie defenseman, Jorian Donovan, made a great defensive play shortly before that third goal, too, and the Sens looked amazing in the immediate aftermath. Everything was coming up Sens.
Unfortunately, the Red Wings got one back with about 5 minutes left in the period, reminding us all that there was still plenty of hockey left to be played. 3-1 Ottawa.
The Sens faced a big test early in the third period, when the Red Wings went to the powerplay, and unfortunately they failed the test. A big penalty kill could have been a nice confidence booster for a team trying to hang on to a two goal lead, but they messed up their net-front coverage, and Detroit pulled within one. 3-2 Ottawa.
The rest of the hockey game was very, very stressful. The Red Wings pushed hard, forcing Ullmark to make a lot of massive saves as the Sens just collapsed around him. It wasn’t until about the halfway mark of the final period that the Sens found their legs, testing Detroit’s goaltender but unfortunately not quite managing to build themselves a cushion on the scoresheet.
The refs also put their whistles away after that 3-2 goal, and the Red Wings got away with many infractions as the Sens did a pretty good job of keeping the pressure on while they defended their lead.
We reached a potential turning point when Greig took a really stupid interference penalty with six minutes left in the game. That meant two minutes without one of the Sens’ best penalty killers, but somehow, they found a way. That was the theme of tonight’s game, I guess.
They found a way in the final four minutes, too, and by “they,” I mostly mean their goaltender. Ullmark locked in when we most needed him to.
Tensions finally boiled over with eight seconds left on the clock, and we got a few fights, including, hilariously, Zub fighting DeBrincat. The refs let the game continue at 5 on 5, but the penalties did mean that Detroit was missing Larkin and DeBrincat for the final faceoff with eight seconds left, and they couldn’t find an equalizer in time.
We’re used to the Sens outplaying their opponents (and, too often, still losing). This was one of the few games all season where they were pretty thoroughly out-shot and out-chanced, but they dug deep and found a way. A gutsy win in their most important game of the season. It feels good.
There are still 11 games left to play, but the Sens have now made up the ground they needed to, and played their way into a playoff spot. That’s the hardest part over with.
Game Notes:This was a massive win for Linus Ullmark. He stepped up in a big way and was probably the main reason his team won.And of course, what an NHL debut for Carter Yakemchuk. He was pulling out fancy moves right from the start, no fear at all, not even looking a little bit nervous. It takes guts to take that many shots on net in your NHL debut, especially in a game that important. I’m just so impressed. Our other rookie, Jorian Donovan, looked extremely nervous at the start but did seem to gain confidence as the game wore on. He was very hesitant with the puck and made a few dangerous plays in the first period. You have to feel for the guy; this is a terrifying way to start your NHL career.Dumb late game penalty aside, Ridly Greig almost scored two shorthanded goals in the first period alone, and easily could have had a hat trick in this game. What a guy.Warren Foegele continues to absolutely rock. He was one of the most noticeable forwards on the ice.Tim Stützle being amazing is hardly noteworthy, but I’m going to mention it anyway. He had a fantastic game. He even got a breakaway in the last few minutes of the game, right before Detroit pulled the goalie.I really liked what I saw from Jordan Spence tonight. He started to look a bit shaky toward the end of the game, but he was really solid for most of it. He’s stepped up in a massive way since the injuries started happening. It’s great to get confirmation that he can excel in heavier minutes, after spending so much of his career as the best third pairing player in the league.Gameflow
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