“We Want Playoffs” Has Senators’ Players Talking

The buzz surrounding the Ottawa Senators reached a fever pitch Saturday. In the waning minutes of their 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, fans were chanting, “We want playoffs.”

And why not? Senators’ fans have been starving for postseason games since the team’s 2017 run to the Eastern Conference Final.

They’ve lived through at times, an arduous rebuild which has reached its end, thanks to general manager Pierre Dorion’s acquisition of defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

Dorion had been seeking to fill his organizational need for a top-four d-man for what seemed like eons. And combined with a little bit of luck in that the Arizona Coyotes didn’t want to take on actual salary, the Senators’ GM has significantly turned his team’s fortune around for the present and future in one fell swoop.

It’s been a long rebuild, but with the previous additions of forwards Alex DeBrincat, Claude Giroux; inking rising star Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot to contracts with term along the way, the franchise is heading in the right direction.

Yes, there’s certainly going to be a tweak to the current roster here and there, but the heavy lifting has been done for the time being.

With t-shirts adorning each seat to celebrate Pride Night, a presentation to acknowledge Derick Brassard‘s 1000th regular season game, in addition to welcoming Chychrun playing his first game on home ice, Saturday’s game appeared to be a perfect storm for the 18,073 fans in attendance to recognize everything the Senators have been striving toward.

The goal wasn’t to earn a postseason berth this season but to play “meaningful games,” a mantra both Dorion and Senators’ head coach D.J. Smith pledged to do so back in September at training camp.

And that they are doing.

Winners of five games in a row for the first time since March 2017, a streak that stretched to six, head into Monday’s game in Chicago sitting three points of out the final Wildcard position currently held by the Pittsburgh Penguins. And, yes they have a solid opportunity to earn a playoff berth.

Tim Stützle who tallied two goals versus the Blue Jackets to bring his total to 31, said the crowd chanting “Kind of got me chills, to be honest. I mean, it was so loud and yeah, that was awesome.”

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Hard-working defenseman Travis Hamonic also contributed a pair of markers, his first multi-goal game among his 780 NHL regular season games, commented on the crowd, “Yeah, it was good. The crowds have been awesome all season. You know, the fans have been behind us all year. I don’t know how many sellouts we’ve had. We’ve gotten so much support and you can see how much they’re dying for this kind of hockey. They obviously start chanting at the end of the game and stuff. But it shows how passionate our fan base is how excited they are.”

For Jakob Chychrun, his home debut was a memorable one.

With his grandfather, John and sister, Taylor plus a multitude of family members and friends in attendance, Chychrun notched his first goal as a Senator and added an assist in only his second game with the club.

🐥🏃‍♂️☝️🚨#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/SiuEupO9If

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 5, 2023

The 24-year-old’s first impression of Senators’ fans was a great one from the realization they were applauding him on his opening shift on the ice to the third period when fans acknowledged him on the screen during a tv timeout.

In the moment, the six-foot-two, 220-pound defender raised his arm to encourage the fans to cheer even louder.

“Yeah, that was fun. I don’t know what made me do that spur of the moment. The crowd got me going too. So that’s what it’s all about. I think just having fun and yeah, they were really into it tonight. So it was a blast out there,” Chychrun explained.

In only a few short days, Chychrun himself recognizes that Dorion has put together a special group.

“I think I’ve said it a bunch, but it’s just such a tight group here. The boys are really pulling in the same direction and I think that’s what you need. They’re really clicking here of late and we just need to keep this thing going. I just wanted to come in and do what I can to help be a part of this group and keep moving this thing forward – keep growing together. And we’re taking good steps in the right direction. So fun times.”

In his sixth full campaign with the team. Thomas Chabot is yet to play in the postseason, a night such as Saturday brought a smile to his face.

Hearing Senators’ fans chant meant a lot to him, “I mean, obviously a lot of excitement. But the same time we’re all aware there’s still a lot of work ahead of us. It’s a tight race and everybody’s into it. Obviously, to see the support and the fans wanting us to have success, it’s always fun. It’s like what we’ve always talked about. The last couple years haven’t been easy for any of us as a fan or as a player. So obviously to hear that tonight was a lot of fun.”