Ranking the Senators’ Potential First-Round Playoff Opponents – The Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

As the NHL regular season nears its conclusion, the Ottawa Senators find themselves on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. They currently hold the first wild card spot, and have seemed to find a new gear ever since acquiring Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres at the deadline. While they will most likely begin the first round as underdogs on the road, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a preference for who they face in the opening round.

With how the Eastern Conference standings are shaping up, the Sens will most likely face one of these four teams: The Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, or the Tampa Bay Lightning. Should Ottawa want to take on the potential Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals, or one of the three horses currently racing to win the Atlantic Division?

Here’s a ranking of who the Senators should want to play in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

4. Florida Panthers: 1-1-0 Against Ottawa This Season

From a fan’s perspective, this matchup would be quite the spectacle. The Tkachuk brothers facing off in the opening round would be must-see TV. Not only are they two of the game’s best, but this matchup would allow fans to relive the magic of the 4 Nations Face-Off where they captivated the American audience as teammates in February.

We’d see Brady, along with most of the Sens roster, make their playoff debuts against the two-time defending Eastern Conference champs, and while both teams seemingly match up pretty well in terms of size, we have to be honest. Ottawa wants no part of the defending Stanley Cup champions. Not only has Florida dominated the NHL for close to 24 months, but they also loaded up at the trade deadline, and are expected to be fully healthy come mid-April. With the additions of Brad Marchand and Seth Jones, as well as the potential returns of Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad, this could be the best team they’ve had over the last three seasons.

Putting the Tkachuk’s aside, you can really see a gap in terms of the depth on both squads. Dylan Cozens has been a great addition, and Tim Stützle is having the best season of his young career so far, but when you look at guys like Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett, the Panthers’ big boys appear to be a notch above the Sens. Bennett is an absolute pit bull who’s only upped his offensive production as his…