Senators using impressive run to stay in Stanley Cup Playoff race

NEW YORK -- The Ottawa Senators are back in the Stanley Cup Playoff race, their 16-5-4 record since Jan. 13 getting them to the point where a second consecutive trip to the postseason is legitimately within reach.

"We have everybody going," Senators forward Claude Giroux said. "We have all lines playing a lot. We just have to keep pushing."

They have because they're still chasing, still trying to overcome a rougher than expected first three months of the season.

Ottawa can close to within two points of a playoff spot when they face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, MSG, Prime, RDS). The Senators are four points back of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference and five behind the Montreal Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division.

"I think it just heightens the urgency mentally that there's no cushion, and every game, it's a fight for your life just staying in the race," forward Lars Eller said. "Obviously, you'd always rather be higher in the standings, but sometimes maybe it's better to be chasing and have nothing to lose than be up where you feel like guys are overthinking it and maybe you have something to lose.

"I think we have a mentality right now (that) there's nothing to lose and if we can keep winning, things will take care of themselves."

The Senators have being doing just that for more than two months. They lost six of eight games in regulation coming out of the holiday break in December, including four in six days from Jan. 5-10, dropping to last place in the Atlantic (20-19-5).

But they collected points in their next five games (3-0-2) before losing 5-3 at the Nashville Predators and 4-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes, prompting coach Travis Green to talk about adversity, how they were in it and the key to their season was how they would respond.

Ottawa won 7-1 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 25 and has been climbing the standings ever since; it is 13-3-2 since that victory, a .778 points percentage in that stretch that is topped only by the Dallas Stars (.833), Buffalo Sabres (.800) and Columbus Blue Jackets (.789). The Senators have averaged 3.72 goals per game during the run, fifth in the NHL, and allowing a League-low 2.22 goals and 21.2 shots per game in that time.

"That's definitely a fabric of how we want to be, hard to play against," captain Brady Tkachuk said. "Try to limit as many shots as possible. I think we've done a good job as of late of really being hard to play against with a lot of key guys being out. It's not just relied upon one guy; it's relied upon the five guys on the ice to do the job."

To that end, the production has been across the board. 

Seven players have at least 11 points in the past 18 games, led by forward Tim Stutzle's 20 (nine goals, 11 assists) and Tkachuk's 18 (seven goals, 11 assists). Five have at least five goals, led by Dylan Cozens and Stutzle with nine each, Drake Batherson with eight and Tkachuk with seven.

Linus Ullmark is 8-2-2 with a 2.34 goals-against average. James Reimer, who will start against the Rangers, is 4-1-0 with a 1.80 GAA. Ironically, it was Mads Sogaard who started against the Golden Knights on Jan. 25, allowing one goal on 20 shots in his only start during this 18-game stretch.

"I think that's what's been fun is everybody stepping up," Tkachuk said. "All 12 forwards, six (defensemen) and our goalies have been playing great. That's what it's going to take the rest of the way here -- everyone stepping up and not looking to the guy next to him and hoping he's going to take charge.

"Everybody has been taking it on themselves to take charge and get the job done."

They still need help, though, which is why the Senators are avid scoreboard watchers.

"Some nights I put it on and if good things are happening, I keep it on and if not, I change the channel," Green said. "At the end of the day, we can only control what we're doing. We've got a big game tonight, and we're going to say that a lot down the stretch."