February 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins (21) chases the puck as forward Michael Amadio (22) goes out of the way during Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images As much as the Ottawa Senators have lamented their losses in recent outings, they are well aware of the need to move forward when they visit the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
The Senators arrived in Calgary on the heels of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, a game they took a 4-2 lead into the third period.
Getting caught up in disappointment won’t help a Senators team trying to make the playoffs and face a struggling club that will soon be mathematically eliminated from the competition.
“I don’t know if we gave up, but we definitely gave up in Game 3,” Senators forward Michael Amadio said. “We didn’t stick to the game plan and that’s what took us down.”
The Senators watched the lead be lost due to Edmonton’s power play goal and then scored another goal when the goalie drew an extra attacker. The Oilers won thanks to an overtime power play marker.
Still, the Senators are 6-1-2, six points out of playoff position with 22 games remaining.
“We limited their opportunities to 5-on-5, and obviously we have to be better on special teams,” forward Dylan Cozens said. “But we want to push it a little further in the third part.”
Ottawa forward Tim Stutzle had a pair of assists to give him 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) on his 10-game point streak.
The Flames have a setback to bounce back from when they return to action.
Calgary, which has won just three of its last 12 games (3-6-3), is coming off a dismal 6-1 home loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.
Delivering a dud performance like this against the Stars cannot be overlooked, but the club would like to turn the page.
“We know that’s not us,” Flames forward Connor Zary said. “You’re going to lose the game. No one’s going to lose 82-0, but you still want to make sure you’re doing the right thing when the game isn’t going your way.”
To their credit, the Flames haven’t been guilty of many one-sided losses despite being ranked. The message is to not let this become a common occurrence for the rest of the season.
As puck drop approaches, the Flames are in trade talks heading into Friday’s deadline.
Calgary, tied for third-lowest scoring in the NHL, made a big move Wednesday, trading veteran defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth for three second-round draft picks, veteran depth defenseman Olli Maatta and prospect Jonathan Castagna, who was selected in the third round of the 2023 draft.
Calgary also traded veteran defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 18. There’s a chance the Flames trade veteran forwards Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman in a full-on rebuild.
Whether any of these are dealt after this game or held up due to expectations of a trade will be an interesting study all the way up to puck drop.
–Field level media
