The Eastern Conference playoff race is as tight as ever.

A win on any given night can vault a team into a top-three place in their division, while a loss can drop them out of a playoff spot altogether.

On Monday, the Senators were on the outside looking in, as they were four points back of the New York Islanders for the final wild-card spot. That night, they gained important ground after a big 2-1 win over the New York Rangers in the only game on the schedule.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning and the Senators are back in a playoff spot for the first time since Dec. 3 with 85 points after picking up a key 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, who have now fallen out of a playoff spot along with the Islanders. The Senators have ripped off four straight wins, all against Eastern Conference opponents.

Ottawa’s win over Detroit came as the Senators’ blueline is decimated with injuries. Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Nick Jensen, Lassi Thomson and Dennis Gilbert are all out, forcing the Sens to recall a pair of rookies in Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan from the AHL ahead of Tuesday’s contest.

Yakemchuk, the seventh-overall pick in the 2024 draft, shone with a goal and an assist in his NHL debut on Tuesday with 12:46 of ice time.

Donovan, 21, played 4:42 with a shot on goal.

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk praised the two rookie blueliners after last night’s game.

“They were great,” Tkachuk said. “It’s not just like a regular first game, it’s like a playoff game with the stakes of where we’re at in the season. I thought they handled it so well. It speaks to the preparation that they put in.

“It’s a dream come true to play in the National Hockey League and to get the two points at the end. I’m really proud of them.”

Tkachuk also recorded a goal and an assist in last night’s win while goaltender Linus Ullmark made 32 saves to secure the victory.

“It speaks volumes of the character we have, getting in late, back-to-back, two very emotional games and then to come out with two big points here is massive,” said Tkachuk. “It’s something that we’re going to build on.”

The Senators return to action on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are third in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points and have lost two straight games.