'It's crazy': Senators move into playoff spot — but lose another defenceman

Buffalo Sabres' Jack Quinn (22) brings the puck around the net as Ottawa Senators' Tyler Kleven (43) defends during first period NHL hockey action in Ottawa on Thursday, April 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Ottawa Senators had good reason to celebrate, and just as much to worry.

Ottawa (39-26-10) moved back into the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, but lost yet another defenceman.

Tyler Kleven joined a growing list after taking a shot up high and leaving the game in the first period. When asked for an update post-game, head coach Travis Green didn’t seem overly optimistic.

“He’s still getting checked out,” he said. “Hope for the best, not expecting it to be great.”

Ottawa’s blue line has been decimated since March 7.

The bad luck started with Jake Sanderson going down with an upper-body injury, followed by Nick Jensen suffering a torn meniscus. Dennis Gilbert was next with an upper-body injury, then Thomas Chabot broke his arm and Carter Yakemchuk entered concussion protocol after a big hit.

Ottawa has now used 13 different defencemen amid the injury parade.

“This is some of the most insane things I’ve seen,” said captain Brady Tkachuk. “It truly is just unfortunate. This is probably the most adversity that we’ve faced as a group. It’s crazy what keeps happening, but credit to the guys that have been called up and guys that have had to elevate their roles. Everyone’s stepping up and playing really solid for us.”

Despite being short-handed, the Senators found a way to win Thursday. Jordan Spence led the way on the blue line, playing a career-high 30 minutes 48 seconds.

“A real unbelievable effort out of our defence,” said Green. “Asking a lot out of a lot of players. Players we don’t know very well and, man, they all played well.”

Green added there’s a lot of coaching happening on the fly, with players taking on new roles and adjusting to the developing circumstances.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, meanwhile, rued the missed opportunity.

“That’s all we talked about,” said Ruff. “They were down to five, and we didn’t stress them out enough.”

Not only did the Senators hold off the Sabres (46-22-8), Ottawa’s victory prevented Buffalo (46-22-8) from clinching its first playoff berth since 2011, the longest drought in the NHL.

“They took over the game the last two periods,” said Ruff. “They outskated, they out-competed. Their desperation level was higher than ours, as simple as that.”

After losing their last three games, the Senators rose to the occasion, as did goaltender Linus Ullmark.

Ullmark has been under scrutiny after choosing not to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Saturday because he needed a rest. He was then pulled Tuesday after allowing five goals on 16 shots against the Florida Panthers.

On Thursday, Ullmark was solid, stopping 21 shots and coming up with a huge save on Bowen Byram at the end of the second period with the game tied 1-1.

“It was a gutsy win,” said Ullmark. “The five ‘D’ that were still in the game did a great job of defending together with our forward core, and I think that we, you know, kind of deserve this one.”

With seven games remaining and a playoff berth far from locked in, the Senators will need similar efforts down the stretch.

Green admitted he challenged his team following two subpar efforts in Florida — and liked the response.

“You don’t win games like this unless you’ve got everyone playing the right way,” Green said. “And that’s just playing to win.”

Ottawa plays back-to-back home games this weekend against the Minnesota Wild and the Carolina Hurricanes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2026.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press