The Ottawa Senators will begin their own version of a pursuit for happiness Tuesday.
After an extended holiday break with the club’s Friday game against the Detroit Red Wings postponed because of the weather, the Senators will return to the Canadian Tire Centre Tuesday to host the Boston Bruins.
Sitting 11 points out of the final wildcard spot in the East that’s currently held by the Washington Capitals, the Senators have 49 games left and if they want to play meaningful games in March, then victories over teams ahead of them are paramount.
After facing the Bruins, the Senators will take on the Caps Thursday on the road before saying farewell to 2022 with a trip to Little Caesars Arena on New Year’s Eve for a game against the Detroit Red Wings and a visit by the Buffalo Sabres Sunday to kick off 2023.
These four games could go a long way in determining where the Senators will finish. The club’s odds of making the post-season get worse with each point it can’t secure and the Senators dropped a costly 4-3 overtime decision to the Capitals at home heading into the break.
But the club’s next two home games will have a playoff atmosphere. The visit by the Bruins is a virtual sellout and sales for the Sabres game Sunday are also strong. The Senators need to feed off the emotion of big crowds and have a better effort than they did against the Caps.
Of course, health remains a big issue for this team and there have been few games in the first 33 that you can say the Senators played with a full roster. Injuries aren’t an excuse, however, the Senators have had their fair share of battles with trying to have a healthy roster.
The club lost forwards Tyler Motte and Belleville call-up Jake Lucchini to what appeared to be hand injuries in the first period of the loss to the Caps. Then, to make matters worse defenceman Jake Sanderson left in the third after taking a puck in the throat.
The Senators finished the game with 10 forwards and five defencemen plus the club was already without blueliner Erik Brannstrom. He suffered a leg injury late in Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets and there’s a good chance he’ll suit up against the Bruins.
Veteran centre Derick Brassard, a healthy scratch against the Caps, is available and can return.
Top centre Tim Stutzle is back from a shoulder ailment that forced him to miss four games, but it’s doubtful top defenceman Artem Zub will ready to return from the broken jaw he suffered Dec. 2nd after taking a puck in the face against the New York Rangers.
Wearing a full-face shield to skate with his teammates, Zub told reporters Thursday he’d only just started eating solid foods. The doctors won’t give him clearance until they’re confident the bone is healing properly and he can’t suffer any further injury.
The timeline was four weeks when it happened so any appearance by him before the club faces the Columbus Blue Jackets Jan. 3 would be a bonus. This will be the 11th straight game Zub has missed and he also to get his strength back because he’s had a hard time keeping weight on.
It doesn’t appear Zub will play this week, but that timeline could change depending on how further examination after the break goes.
We should also get a status update soon on centre Josh Norris. He has been skating regularly in practice and strengthening his shoulder, but when the club outlined the timeline in November, GM Pierre Dorion said the next update would be in January.
That’s just around the corner and Norris, 23, will need clearance from the doctors to take full contact then a decision can made on whether he can suit up or not. Surgery hasn’t been ruled out but it’s easy to see during skates that Norris has made huge improvements.
The expectation is Norris will play sometime in January.
Winger Mathieu Joseph has a leg injury and there’s been no update on his timeline lately while defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker has been skating after suffering a high-ankle sprain but hasn’t been given the clearance to play yet.
“These four days could change some things and maybe (Brannstrom) can get back in,” said Smith.
Defenceman Dillion Heatherington, who was solid in his 11 minutes against the Caps Thursday, was sent back to Belleville before the break, but will likely be brought back. He didn’t suit up in Belleville’s Boxing Day game against the Toronto Marlies at Scotiabank Arena.
Heatherington was likely held out because Ottawa will need him against the Bruins.
This game against the Bruins will be a huge test. The Senators scored a 7-5 victory the first time they faced Boston on Oct. 18 at home. The Bruins lead the Atlantic Division with a 27-4-2 record this season and this was supposed to be the year they took a step back.
The Senators still have a chance to make the playoffs but with the mid-season approaching fast, this is the time for the club to makes it move. A victory against Boston would go a long way in helping the Senators get a boost of confidence.
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