Senators GM talks playoffs: 'We're underdogs, and we're OK with that'

Ottawa general manager Steve Staios knows the Senators are the new kids on the playoff block, but he believes his club has "the mettle" to make some noise in the postseason.

"We're underdogs, and we're OK with that," he said Wednesday. "There's teams that we'll match up against who have been there and done that and have that experience. This will be our first time doing it with this group, but it's hard not to believe in the group. To see how they've stepped up to the occasion throughout the year, it's hard not to believe in them."

He added, "It's a good first step for this group, I mean I'm really excited for our players."

Ottawa officially clinched its postseason spot on Tuesday after the Detroit Red Wings' 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, ending a seven-year drought for the Senators.

The Sens own a 42-30-6 record on the season and already have 12 more points than they did last year with four more games to play.

"All areas of the organization took a step," Staios said when asked what got the Senators to their current position. "There was a high level of accountability all throughout the organization. We needed to change the standard of how things were done here. You can point to the players, the commitment that they've put in, the coaching staff in getting this team to that next level."

Staios is in his second season as the Senators' general manager and president of hockey operations. He hired Travis Green to take over as head coach in May, and the bench boss has a real shot at being named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for his part in Ottawa's turnaround.

Among the most significant improvements is the fact that the Senators are doing a better job at keeping the puck out of their own net. Last season, they tied for 26th in the league in goals against (3.43), and this year, they're 11th (2.79).

"The commitment on the defensive side has been incredible," Staios said. "It's a challenging thing to do, especially when you have highly talented players who, really, on the offense is where they'd like to be. That commitment from the coaching staff and then the players buying into it has been the reason why we're here today."

The executive also discussed the status of captain Brady Tkachuk, who has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury. When asked if Tkachuk would play if the postseason started tomorrow, Staios said he thought so but couldn't provide a definitive answer.

Ottawa will take on the Montreal Canadiens on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.