Ullmark has been out of Ottawa's lineup since Dec. 22 when he left a game after one period of play in Edmonton with back tightness. It sounded precautionary at the time but turned out to be reasonably serious. This is Ullmark's second stint on the injury list. He missed a couple of weeks of action back in mid-October.

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.

The Ottawa Senators will turn to their version of the Finnish Flash on Hockey Day in Canada . As the Senators prepare to kick off Hockey Night in Canada ‘s 25th annual version of the celebration of the game loved by millions of people in this country,

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Kicking off a busy end-of-January stretch for both teams, the Ottawa Senators host the Boston Bruins in a key Saturday afternoon clash of clubs on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble.

Knocking on the door along with Ottawa are perennial Atlantic Division also-rans Montreal and Detroit. Also in the Eastern Conference mix are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hopped over the Bruins in the standings on Thursday and are everyone’s sentimental favorite in this surprise run after the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy last summer.

The Ottawa Senators held up quite well against one of the best teams in the league. They played strong defensive hockey, but couldn’t score on their chances. In the end, they settled for one point in the overtime loss.

The Bruins are currently in a playoff spot but a lot of times are coming for them. First up on Saturday, the Ottawa Senators.

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.

You can debate which of the Senators’ needs — a scoring forward, another defenceman, possibly some goaltending help — is more pressing but the recent skid, about two months before the trade deadline, has amplified the need for general manager Steve Staios to make a move.

The Ottawa Senators should stick with the hot hand on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders. Coming off back-to-back wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars on the weekend ...