In a pivotal divisional game, the Ottawa Senators had one of their shakiest defensive games in quite some time. Their offensive game was phenomenal, though, as they were able to come away with a big 6-5 win.

The Ottawa Senators have reached the midpoint of their season, still alive in hopes of ending their lengthy playoff drought. We’ve put together a midseason assessment of everyone’s performance, including the head coach and general manager.

OTTAWA, Ontario — In a matchup of teams fighting for position at the tail end of the Eastern Conference playoff structure, the Bruins dropped a 6-5 shootout decision to the Senators on Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre.

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Belleville Senators forward Tyler Boucher, Brantford Bulldogs 20-year-old Tomas Hamara (who is signed) and big Finnish defenseman Eerik Wallenius were also considered for the fourth tier and are comparable prospects to the final four players ranked.

Shane Pinto scored two special teams goals in the first period, Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 shots and the Ottawa Senators beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0.

The Ottawa Senators held up quite well against one of the best teams in the league. They played strong defensive hockey, but couldn’t score on their chances. In the end, they settled for one point in the overtime loss.

The Dallas Stars face the Ottawa Senators Sunday night for the second and final time this season. Entering Sunday's match, the Stars are 26-13-1 while the Senators are 19-18-3. Dallas took game one of the season series on Jan. 2 in a 4-2 win.

Opening faceoff is at 7 p.m. ET and you can watch it on ESPN+ ( plans start at $11.99/month). Washington (29-10-5, in the Metropolitan Division) last played on Tuesday night and beat visiting Anaheim 3-0 as Logan Thompson stopped all 19 shots. The Capitals are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games.

Down 5-3 to the rival Boston Bruins with the goalie pulled, the Senators scored twice in the final four minutes to tie the game, then won it 6-5 in the shootout. The victory, for the time being, moves Ottawa into the first Wild Card position (WC1) in the Eastern Conference, now tied in points with Columbus and Boston.

Alex Ovechkin made no secret of his feelings when reacting to his historic goal in the Washington Capitals' win over the Ottawa Senators in the 2024-25 NHL season.