It’s not a sleight of hand, what the Ottawa Senators are doing on the ice these days is very much for real. As the Senators near the 50-game mark of their NHL season, grabbing onto one of the NHL Eastern Conference’s eight playoff spots doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it was not so long ago.

The New Jersey Devils hosted the Ottawa Senators for the second game of a back-to-back. The visitors prevailed, beating the Devils 2-1.

Following an ugly game against the Flyers, the Devils take on the Ottawa Senators in the second game of a back-to-back at The Rock. Check out the matchup in this preview.

Ottawa took a 2-1 lead 2:50 into the third period when Artem Zub wristed a shot through a bunch a bodies that got past New Jersey goalie Jacob Markstrom, who came into the game with a 21-8-5 record and 2.20 goals-against average. The Senators held the Devils to just three shots in the third period.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Anton Forsberg made 25 saves, including 16 in the first period, to win his first game in two months for the Ottawa Senators, a 2-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Sunday.

After missing almost a month of action with a back injury, goalie Linus Ullmark looks like he'll be ready to return to the lineup soon. At that point, with Anton Forsberg and Leevi Merilainen, the Senators will have three available goalies. This just in: there isn't room on the bench for two backup goalies.

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.

Saturday afternoon, the Philadelphia Flyers traveled to Newark, New Jersey to take on the New Jersey Devils for the first time this season. In a tight contest, the Flyers took it 2-1 in regulation.

On Sunday against the Senators, the Devils did what coach Sheldon Keefe wanted after their crushing loss to the Flyers on Saturday — for about half of the game. Their offense was energetic — flying around the ice with and without the puck. They were patient in the offensive zone and put more pucks toward the net. All four lines equally contributed.

After a sluggish start to the 2024-25 season, the Ottawa Senators have straightened themselves out a bit and have put themselves firmly in the playoff race. The