It may be unusual to have a two week pause in the middle of an NHL team’s schedule, but these last 3 seasons have been anything but usual in many ways. Yes, it’s been fourteen days since the Ottawa Senators last took to the ice; a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. In the meantime, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has wreaked havoc across the league. The Sens have not been unaffected, and tonight in fact will be without Josh Norris, Tyler Ennis, Nick Paul, and Dillon Heatherington because of COVID protocols.
Meanwhile, their adversaries tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs, look poised to be nearly full strength for the first time virtually all year.