A capsule look at the Ottawa Senators ahead of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Senators face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, starting Wednesday at Bell Centre.
MORE: Playoff schedule | Get to know the Montreal Canadiens
Season record: 43-26-13
Standing: Fourth in Atlantic Division; first wild card in Eastern Conference
Clinched: April 11
Coach: Dave Cameron (32-15-8). The Senators fired coach Paul MacLean in early December. More: Senators assistant Mark Reeds dies at 55.
Captain: Erik Karlsson
Alternates: Chris Phillips, Chris Neil
Players to watch: Ottawa was 14 points back of a playoff spot on Feb. 7, but rode solid goaltending and a young roster to a playoff berth by season's end. Erik Karlsson led the team in points with 66 and in assists with 45. Mike Hoffman led in goals with 27. Linemates Kyle Turris and Mike Stone also dished out a high number of assists. Mika Zibanejad had a career-high 20 goals and 46 points.
TEAM PREVIEWS: Washington | Islanders | Lightning | Red Wings | Rangers | Penguins
Goaltender: The Hamburglar is on the loose and that doesn't spell anything good for Senators opponents. Andrew Hammond was called up from AHL Binghamton after injuries to both NHL goalies and went 20-1-2, possibly the best story of the season. He finished with a1.79 goals-against average and .941 save percentage.
Playoff history: The Senators made the playoffs 14 times since their rebirth in 1992. They made it 11 consecutive times starting in 1997 and reached their only Stanley Cup Final in 2007. Ottawa last made the playoffs in 2013 where it defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in the opening series and lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games the next round.
Championships: The Senators have never won the Stanley Cup and have only made it to the final once (2007). The original Senators won the Cup in 2917, the first season it was the NHL's championship trophy. Ottawa teams won the cup many times in the Challenge era.
NEED PLAYOFF TICKETS? Get them from VividSeats.com
Schedule/TV (All times ET; * if necessary)
April 15, Canadiens 4, Senators 3
April 17, at Montreal, 7 p.m., CNBC
April 19, at Ottawa, 7 p.m., NBCSN
April 22, at Ottawa, 7 p.m., USA
*April 24, at Montreal, TBD
*April 26, at Ottawa, TBD
*April 28, at Montreal, TBD
SERIES PREVIEWS: Canucks-Flames | Ducks-Jets | Blues-Wild | Predators-Blackhawks
Cassandra Negley is a contributor at Sporting News. She’s currently the sports editor at the Thomasville Times-Enterprise in Georgia and writes for the Mets blog, Rising Apple. You can follow her on Twitter, @casnegley.