GARRIOCH: Senators hit the road hoping to play the Oilers on Monday

Article content

Wash, rinse and repeat.

Article content

That’s how the last three weeks have felt for the Ottawa Senators, but, after taking a quick turn on Saturday at the Canadian Tire Center, they are hopeful of getting back into action against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night at Rogers Place. Sand. in the capital of Alberta.

The Senators boarded a charter flight Saturday after practice and hoped the trip was not in vain. The Oilers placed five players and six staff members on COVID-19 protocol on Saturday, however, three players, including Connor McDavid, are expected to go off protocol on Sunday.

Some won’t believe the puck will drop until Senators head coach DJ Smith steps behind the bench and the national anthem plays.

“We are getting on the plane and we are planning to play. That’s how I see it, ”Smith said Saturday. “You don’t know with COVID-19 what can happen in 24 hours, but I think we’re going to play.”

Article content

In this case, better late than never.

While they were scheduled to begin a five-game road trip in Seattle on Thursday, the Senators have postponed three of the five games. In addition to Edmonton, they will face the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome on Thursday before returning home to Ottawa.

Visits to Vancouver on Saturday night and Winnipeg next weekend will be among the Senators’ 12 games left to be rescheduled by the National Hockey League. Eight of them will be at home and four on the road, which means any chance the Senators will have a light schedule in February is doubtful.

Having played once since a 4-3 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 18, the Senators are itching to get back to work. They faced the Toronto Maple Leafs and suffered a 6-0 loss last Saturday, when they had five players on the protocol.

Article content

Ottawa finished with nine players and assistant coach Bob Jones on protocol, but all hands were on deck Saturday. Goalkeeper Anton Forsberg, the last player on the protocol after an absence of nearly two weeks, skidded and flew to Edmonton.

He is not expected to play in Edmonton or Calgary, but the Senators will have three goalkeepers on the trip. Smith wasn’t sure if he would start Matt Murray or Filip Gustavsson against the Oilers.

The plan was to sit down with goalkeeping coach Zac Bierk and then make a decision.

Really, it could be either one. Murray allowed six goals on 40 shots against the Leafs, while Gustavsson hasn’t been at the net since allowing five goals on 27 shots in a 5-3 loss at home to the New York Islanders on Dec. 7.

“With this long break, all the goalkeepers have had no action,” Smith said. “I will have the last word, but I will speak to (Bierk) and then we will make a decision.”

Article content

The 29 games the Senators have played this season represent the second-lowest total in the league after the New York Islanders’ 28. Think about it: Monday in Edmonton was supposed to be game No. 41 for the Senators, the midpoint of regular play. -season schedule.

Instead, if the game against the Oilers is actually played, it will be No. 30 with 52 games to go.

For those keeping score, that’s a lot of hockey for a short period of time if the NHL schedule is to be completed by the end of April. By comparison, two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning has played 37 games, while the Vegas Golden Knights have 38.

Senators have tried to make the most of this recess. They needed time to recover, so that was the biggest hurdle, and the rest were spent working on the details of their game.

Article content

On Saturday, the Senators had a three-on-three tournament to kick start the competitive playing games. They took an additional six players on the trip, including a three-man taxi squad, in case there is a problem with COVID-19 once they are in the west.

“We really just wanted to get healthy and get back in shape, especially the guys that were out,” Smith said. “We’re bringing the guys back into the lineup who haven’t skidded, we’ve tweaked all of our systems and put the lines back together.

“It was good that way. I just hope we stay healthy. We have to play; you can’t be judged if you don’t play. To play a game (in 21 days), it would be good to keep playing ”.

If the Senators play, there will at least be a few fans in the building.

Article content

The rules for sporting events in Alberta are not as strict as those in Ontario. The Oilers and Flames are allowed 50 percent capacity attendance, but no food or beverage sales. Last Saturday in Toronto there were 1,000 people in the building, but since then no spectators have been allowed in Ontario.

Players don’t like the idea of ​​playing without fans.

As it stands, the Senators’ next two home games, both against the Buffalo Sabers on January 18 and January 25, will be played in an empty building.

“We love playing in front of the fans and we love having fans in the building,” said backup captain Thomas Chabot. “They bring so much energy every time you score a goal. Watching them cheer is very impressive.

“We want to play in front of the people, that’s what we want to do, and we can’t shy away from that.”

[email protected]

Twitter.com/sungarrioch