Can the Sens repeat a miracle?
With Mads Sogaard recalled from Ottawa’s AHL Team, the Belleville Senators, this Friday, you can’t help but think back to Andrew Hammond’s famous “Hamburglar” run back in 2015 to take Ottawa from a sinking, goaltender-desperate team to earning the final Eastern Conference playoff spot that same year.
As you may or may not remember, back in the coldest, darkest period of 2015, Ottawa was at the bottom of the Eastern Conference just as they are now. With goaltender Craig Anderson getting injured in late January, followed by Robin Lehner going out with a concussion just after Valentine’s Day, then Sens had no choice but to call up the inexperienced and unproven Andrew Hammond from the minors.
Against all odds, Andrew Hammond’s call-up sprung the injured Senators on a historic winning spree, finishing the season with a 21-3-3 record to finish on 99 points and knocking the Boston Bruins out of the final playoff spot in the East.
So, could Mads Sogaard be Ottawa’s next saviour? With Forsberg's recent injury and Korpisalo falling not-so-gracefully down the league wide goaltender leaderboard (albeit without the help of a consistently supportive defensive corps in front of him), Sogaard now has the opportunity to cement himself in Sens lore.
While Ottawa is currently sporting the last spot in the East just like in January 2015, the difference this time around is that Ottawa has 45 games left as of today to earn the 71 points needed to equal 2015’s 99 point mark.
Although 99 points is certainly not a guarantee at a playoff spot in a stacked Eastern Conference, fans would absolutely be thrilled at the push towards competitive hockey in April.
The good news for Sens fans is that the team would only need to average 1.57 points per game over the last stretch of the season compared to the dominant 1.67 points per game they averaged during the Hamburglar run. The bad news? They'll have to average that for almost 20 more games than they did nearly a decade ago.
With the electric Shane Pinto coming back from suspension soon and a trade deadline nearing that could turn the season around, perhaps the Nation’s Capital could have something to cheer for. They also have the benefit of starting this next 45-game stint at home against the league-worst San Jose Sharks.
But if the Sens have any hope of repeating their 2015 miracle, they’re going to need to start with a single win. Considering they’re the only team without a point in 2024, I’m just hoping one win isn’t too much to ask for on Saturday.
How many points do you think the Ottawa Senators will finish with in 2023-2024?
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Curious to see how the Sens finished off their 2015 campaign?
Outcome vs OPP | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|
W Montreal Canadiens | 4 | 2 |
W Florida Panthers | 4 | 1 |
W Anaheim Ducks | 3 | 0 |
W Los Angeles Kings | 1 | 0 |
W San Jose Sharks | 4 | 2 |
OTL Minnesota Wild | 2 | 3 |
W Winnipeg Jets | 3 | 1 |
W Buffalo Sabres | 3 | 2 |
W Calgary Flames | 5 | 4 |
L Boston Bruins | 1 | 3 |
W Montreal Canadiens | 5 | 2 |
W New York Islanders | 2 | 1 |
W Philadelphia Flyers | 2 | 1 |
W Carolina Hurricanes | 2 | 1 |
W Boston Bruins | 6 | 4 |
W Toronto Maple Leafs | 5 | 3 |
W San Jose Sharks | 5 | 2 |
L New York Rangers | 1 | 5 |
OTL Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | 4 |
L Florida Panthers | 2 | 4 |
W Detroit Red Wings | 2 | 1 |
W Tampa Bay Lightning | 2 | 1 |
W Washington Capitals | 4 | 3 |
OTL Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | 3 |
W Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | 3 |
W New York Rangers | 3 | 0 |
W Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | 1 |