The Ottawa Senators are making their best push toward playoff position.
Striving to cap an already successful road stretch with a third consecutive victory, the Senators visit Vancouver on Monday night, where the Canucks haven’t won in well more than a month.
Ottawa remains just outside of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but is 8-1-2 since Jan. 25. The Senators improved to 3-0-1 on a five-game road stretch and extended their point streak to six following Saturday’s 7-4 victory at Seattle.
Shane Pinto had a goal with two assists and was one of seven different Ottawa players to score.
“I think, obviously, (our depth) is our strength,” said Pinto, who has a goal in back-to-back contests. “It’s going to have to be a big part of our success.”
Ottawa totaled 20 goals in the last four games. Linemates of Pinto, Michael Amadio had two goals with two assists in the last three while Nick Cousins has three points in those same three.
“We’re reading off each other well,” Pinto said of Amadio and Cousins. “They’re super smart players, and the pucks are going in.”
Pinto and Amadio assisted on Artem Zub’s opening goal when the Senators hung on for a 2-1 home win over Vancouver on Jan. 13.
The Canucks own an NHL-low 46 points, 10 points behind any other team, and are just 4-19-5 since Dec. 22. Vancouver snapped an 0-5-2 slide with Friday’s 6-3 win at Chicago, but could not hold a late one-goal lead and fell 3-2 in overtime at Winnipeg one night later.
“I liked the effort (at Winnipeg) — we fought for each other,” Canucks forward Linus Karlsson said.
Karlsson had a goal with an assist and Teddy Blueger added two helpers Saturday for Vancouver, which has not recorded a three-game point streak since it won four straight from Dec. 14-20. Karlsson has four points in three games while linemates Blueger and Max Sasson have combined for six points in the last two contests.
“I’ve found some chemistry with Teddy and (Sasson),” Karlsson said. “They help me a lot.”
The Canucks have just six wins in 30 games this season at home, where they are 0-2-2 since a 2-0 victory over Anaheim on Jan. 29.
Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves at Winnipeg, but still owns a 4.87 goals-against average during his five-start losing streak. Current backup Nikita Tolopilo stopped 20 of 23 shots at Chicago to earn his first win since a 32-save performance during that late-January shutout of Anaheim.
Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark allowed all four goals on just 21 shots faced versus Seattle, but owns a 2.47 goals-against average amid a 9-1-3 starting stretch. Teammate James Reimer has a 2.90 GAA in seven games with the Senators this season, but has not seen action since Feb. 5.
Jake Sanderson, who leads all Ottawa defensemen with 48 points, could miss this contest after suffering a reported upper-body injury Saturday.
“You hate seeing a teammate go down,” fellow Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot said.
