Senators hungry for points against future-minded Flames
As much as the Ottawa Senators are lamenting the lost point in their latest outing, they are well aware the need to move forward when they visit the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
The Senators arrive in Calgary on the heels of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, a game that they led 4-2 going into the third period.
Wallowing in the disappointment will not help a Senators team that is making a push to reach the playoffs and about to face a struggling club that is soon to be mathematically eliminated from contention.
"I'm not sure we gave it away, but we did let up in the third, for sure," Senators forward Michael Amadio said. "We didn't stick to our game plan, and that's what caused us to fall apart there."
The Senators watched their lead become a loss thanks to an Edmonton power-play goal and then another with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker. The Oilers won thanks to an overtime power-play marker.
Even so, the Senators are on a 6-1-2 run that has them a half-dozen points outside of a playoff position with 22 games remaining.
"We limited their chances at 5-on-5, and obviously we've got to be better on special teams," forward Dylan Cozens said. "But we'd like to keep pushing a little more there in the third."
Ottawa forward Tim Stutzle recorded a pair of assists to give him 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in a 10-game point streak.
The Flames have their own disappointment to recover from when they return to action.
Calgary, which has managed only three victories in its past 12 games (3-6-3), is coming off a dismal 6-1 home-ice drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.
The sting of delivering such a dud of a performance against the Stars cannot be overlooked, but the club wants to turn the page.
"We know that's not us," Flames forward Connor Zary said. "You're gonna lose games. Nobody's gonna go 82-0, but you still want to make sure you're doing those right things when the game isn't going your way."
To their credit, the Flames have not been guilty of many one-sided beatdowns despite their spot in the standings. The message is to not allow that to be commonplace for the rest of the season.
As the puck drop nears, the Flames are also in the throes of trade talk heading toward the Friday deadline.
Calgary, which is tied for the third-lowest point total in the NHL, made one big move on Wednesday by dealing veteran defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth for a trio of second-round draft choices, veteran depth defenseman Olli Maatta and prospect Jonathan Castagna, who was selected in the third round of the 2023 draft.
Calgary also traded veteran defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 18. It's possible the Flames will be looking to deal veteran forwards Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman in a full-scale rebuild.
Whether any of them are dealt after this game, or even held out due to the anticipation of a trade, will be an interesting study all the way up to puck drop.