Senators Healing, Rolling on 5 Straight Wins | 
The returns of Daniel Alfredsson and Milan Michalek have raised the spirits of the fresh-faced roster of the Ottawa Senators (27-21-4) and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Senators are cruising with five straight wins, catapulting the team into second place in the Northeast division and ninth place overall in the Eastern Conference.
Captain Daniel Alfredsson has been an offensive force to be reckoned with since returning from a shoulder injury which occurred on December 23. In his first game back against the Montreal Canadiens, Alfredsson notched a goal and two helpers en route to a 4-2 victory and followed this performance with a Hat trick versus the Boston Bruins. With four goals and four assists in four games since his return, Alfredsson has been a hot commodity on the Senators’ top line.
Luckily for the team, he isn’t the only player stepping up during this injury-filled campaign to the playoffs. Pascal Leclaire is back on injured reserve with a concussion, but young goaltenders Brian Elliot and Mike Brodeur are enjoying the playing time they are getting between the pipes. Brodeur has been living up to the surname he’s been blessed to share, as he is unbeaten in three appearances including a shut-out performance against the New York Rangers (24-20-7) at the start of the Senator’s winning streak.
Brian Elliot has begun to mature in his young NHL career as well. Elliot (13-11-3) is a large part of the current streak, getting the best of Boston, Chicago, and St. Louis in his last three games. Elliot is approaching his personal record for games played in the NHL and will likely surpass this with Leclaire on the IR. As Marian Hossa found out earlier this week, Elliot is playing for keeps as seen in this potential save of the year.
As the Olympic break approaches, the Ottawa Senators are one of the hottest teams in the league and are showing no signs of letting up anytime soon, which is bad news for the Boston Bruins, as this divisional rivalry continues on Saturday afternoon. With Captain Daniel Alfredsson at the helm, the Senators (and Team Sweden) are looking forward to the remainder of the season as they put in a valid bid for the playoffs.
From The Badger’s Den and for OpenIceHockey.com, I’m Eric Badger.
Topics: Brian Elliot, Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Brodeur, Ottawa Senators, Pascal Leclaire
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Author’s Note: Jason Spezza returned to the Senators line-up this afternoon against Boston. He scored the game winning goal in the second period, pushing the Senators winning streak to 6 games. Daniel Alfredsson also scored for the Senators in a 2-1 victory, bringing his point total to 9 in the last five games.