from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,

When the National Hockey League was picking teams to play in Sweden this season, the Ottawa Senators should have shielded their eyes and turned the other way.

For the most part, the players would have been fine with being overlooked....

To make this trip possible, the Senators had to take on 19 sets of back-to-back games — tied with Pittsburgh for most in the league — during the regular season.

“It’s a cool experience, we’re going to have some fun,” Brassard said, “but then we’re back for a week and then we’re on the road for 15 days. ”

Exhausting, for sure.

Clearly, the Senators’ schedule was not agreed to with the players in mind. It could wind up damaging their chances of qualifying for the playoffs and winning a round or four, especially because they did not take full advantage of having 10 of their first 14 games at home.

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