from Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen,

At times it felt more like dodging a bullet than vanquishing an old foe.

But the Senators got it done, surviving a Battle of Ontario scrape with the Toronto Maple Leafs to keep Ottawa’s prospective march to the playoffs rolling along.

The Senators, who entered the game two points behind Boston for eighth place, have won six straight and 15 of their past 18 games. Ottawa’s win, combined with the Bruins’ 2-1 shootout loss in Florida, pulled the Senators to within a single point of Boston with a game in hand.

“We’re not in the playoffs yet,” Senators head coach Dave Cameron cautioned in the jubilant aftermath. “We’re still on the outside.”

But inching closer.

Cameron was pleased with the first and third periods. As to the middle one, “we took a bit of a nap,” he said.

Asked what he barked at his troops during a shaky second, Cameron said: “Wake up!”

continued

The Senators also have a game in hand on the Bruins.