While the Ottawa Senators navigate the second half of the regular season without their starting goalie, their playoff hopes remain alive. That's in no small part due to the play of their rookie goaltender Leevi Merilainen,

Tim Stutzle scored in the shootout to lift the Ottawa Senators to a 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins. Leevi Merilainen, who made 23 saves in regulation and overtime, turned away all three Bruins skaters in the tiebreaker.

Chychrun returned to Ottawa this week as the top-scoring defenceman on the top team in the NHL and reflected on his time with the Senators.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot will be out of the lineup on a day-to-day basis after taking a puck to the face in Tuesday’s 2-0 road win over the New York Islanders.

Belleville Senators forward Tyler Boucher, Brantford Bulldogs 20-year-old Tomas Hamara (who is signed) and big Finnish defenseman Eerik Wallenius were also considered for the fourth tier and are comparable prospects to the final four players ranked.

It’ll be baptism by fire for Ottawa Senators defenceman Donovan Sebrango on Thursday night. Sebrango will make his NHL debut, jumping right into the heat of the NHL Eastern playoff chase. Not only will it happen in his hometown, with family and friends cheering him on, it will be against Alex Ovechkin and the league-leading Washington Capitals.

At 5-on-5, the Bruins have allowed shot attempts at a higher rate than every team in the league since the calendar flipped. Only the Chicago Blackhawks, who find themselves in the basement of the NHL, have conceded more shots on target during that span. The Bruins have struggled mightily to limit shots.

The 39-year-old winger took a pass from Rasmus Sandin on a 2-on-1 breakaway and fired it past rookie Leevi Merilainen, the record 179th goaltender he's scored on.

After extending their winning streak to seven games, the Dallas Stars (27-13-1, third in the Central Division) take on the Ottawa Senators (20-18-3, sixth in the Atlantic Division) on Sunday. Dallas has impressed in its recent stretch, taking down Montreal in a shootout to start its Canadian road trip.

New Jersey completes its set of back-to-back weekend matinees on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators. This game is the second of two Next Generation Weekend games presented by RWJBarnabas Health. You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.