March 7, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (12) plays the puck during the second quarter of the game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Image The Ottawa Senators are doing everything they can to make the playoffs.
The Senators travel to Vancouver on Monday night as they look to cap off an already successful run with three straight wins. The Canucks haven’t won here in over a month.
Ottawa remains just outside the Eastern Conference’s wild-card spot, but is 8-1-2 since Jan. 25. The Senators improved to 3-0-1 in the five-game stretch and extended their point streak to six after a 7-4 win at Seattle on Saturday.
Shane Pinto had a goal with two assists and was one of seven Ottawa players to score.
“I definitely think (our depth) is our strength,” said Pinto, who has scored in back-to-back contests. “That will be a big part of our success.”
Ottawa has scored a total of 20 goals in its last four games. Pinto’s linemates, Michael Amadio, have two goals and two assists in his last three games, and Nick Cousins has three points in those same three games.
“We read each other well,” Pinto said of Amadio and Cousins. “They’re very smart players, and the pucks are going in.”
Pinto and Amadio assisted on Artem Zub’s opener during the Senators’ 2-1 home win over Vancouver on January 13.
The Canucks have an NHL-low 46 points, 10 points behind any other team and are just 4-19-5 since Dec. 22. Vancouver slid to 0-5-2 with a 6-3 win at Chicago on Friday, but fell 3-2 one night after failing to hold on to a late one-goal lead in overtime in Winnipeg.
“I liked the effort (in Winnipeg), we fought for each other,” Canucks forward Linus Karlsson said.
Carlsen had a goal with an assist and Teddy Blueger added two helpers Saturday for Vancouver, which has not scored in three straight games since winning four straight from Dec. 14-20. Karlsson has four points in three games, while linemates Bluger and Max Sasson have combined for six points in the last two contests.
“I found chemistry with Teddy and (Sasson),” Karlsson said. “They help me a lot.”
The Canucks have just six wins in 30 games at home this season, going 0-2-2 since a 2-0 win over Anaheim on Jan. 29.
Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen has 32 saves for Winnipeg but has a 4.87 goals-against average during a five-game losing streak. Current backup Nikita Tolopilo stopped 20 of 23 shots for Chicago, earning his first win since making 32 saves during Anaheim’s shutout in late January.
Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark allowed all four goals on just 21 shots against Seattle but has a 2.47 goals-against average in a 9-1-3 start. Teammate James Reimer has a 2.90 GAA in seven games with the Senators this season, but hasn’t seen action since Feb. 5.
Jake Sanderson, who leads the entire Ottawa defense with 48 points, may miss Saturday’s contest due to an upper-body injury.
“I hate seeing my teammates go down,” fellow Senators defensive back Thomas Chabot said.
–Field level media
