The good news for the Ottawa Senators on the injury front is that star rookie defenceman Jake Sanderson was back in the lineup Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, refreshed and revived following a brief return home to Alberta for the Christmas break.
Other than the fact he was sporting an ugly bruise, he was no worse for wear after taking a shot off the throat in last Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.
When Sanderson left the contest against the Capitals, there was deep concern that he had suffered a serious injury.
“It just hit me on the side of the neck and the collarbone,” Sanderson said following Tuesday’s morning skate. “It was scary at the start, but as time went on, it wasn’t anything serious, though. There’s nothing to make a big fuss about it. Everything’s fine, I’m feeling 100 per cent.”
Sanderson, who has scored one goal and 11 assists in 33 games, and ranks third among NHL rookies in average ice time per game (20:48), said he wanted to return to the game against the Capitals, but was kept out for precautionary reasons.
It has been a tough run for Senators defencemen in terms of pucks to the face/throat. On Dec. 2, Artem Zub and Travis Hamonic, Sanderson’s playing partner, were hit in the face and throat, respectively. While Hamonic didn’t miss any games, Zub remains out after suffering a broken jaw. He is currently practising in a no-contact jersey, while also wearing a full face shield.
Senators coach D.J. Smith recognized that Sanderson is fortunate.
“We all live it, it’s our jobs, but at the end of the day, it’s a rough sport,” said Smith. “Guys get hurt and you don’t want to see that, especially long-term injuries, guys taking pucks to the face that (could) put guys out. There are guys that never return from some of these injuries. Especially a young kid, when you see that, you certainly worry for him.”
LOOKING BACK: Naturally, Sanderson would have liked to have seen the Senators win a few more games and be within legitimate striking distance of a wild-card playoff spot, but he’s relatively satisfied with what he has been able to accomplish during his first three months in the NHL.
“There has been a lot of good,” he said. “Personally, for me, I would like to shoot the puck more, score more, but at the same time, I want to defend really well. There are bits and pieces of my game I can change, but I’m pretty happy with the way things are going for me.”
TRAVEL WOES: Due to the wicked winter storm last week, Sanderson, Mark Kastelic and Jacob Bernard-Docker had their trip back home to Alberta on Christmas Eve altered. Their direct flight from Ottawa to Calgary was cancelled. Re-booked through Toronto, they experienced a four-hour delay before making it home. No big deal, according to Sanderson, who said it was well worth the effort in order to visit with family and friends, and have a chance to re-charge.
PINTO’S ADVENTURE: As for rookie centre Shane Pinto, his trip home to Franklin Square, N.Y., just outside the Big Apple, was a harrowing experience. His original flight to Long Island was cancelled, so he opted to drive home on Christmas Eve, through the storm that engulfed much of New York State.
“You don’t want to know,” Pinto said of the nine-hour drive. “At times, I couldn’t see 30 feet in front of me. I saw a few semis off the road.”
Ultimately, though, Pinto says the trip home was well worth it, providing a mental break from the ups and downs of the first three months of the Senators schedule. He drove back to Ottawa on Boxing Day, optimistic about trying to get the Senators back into the thick of the Eastern Conference wild-card chase. Before action resumed Tuesday, the Senators were 11 points behind the Capitals for the final spot.
Playing against the Bruins gave Pinto the opportunity to go head-to-head against Boston captain Patrice Bergeron. Like so many other young centres, Pinto says he tries to model his game after Bergeron.
Overhearing that comment, Senators tough guy Austin Watson couldn’t help but point out that Pinto has set the bar pretty high for himself.
“Yeah, I try to model my game after (David) Pastrnak,” Watson said, with a hearty laugh.
Pastrnak entered Tuesday’s game on an 11-game point streak (10 goals, five assists), including scoring his 23rd and 24th goals of the season in Friday’s 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. He entered the game against the Senators with 264 goals and 287 assists in 543 regular season games with the Bruins. He has another 30 goals and 44 assists in 70 playoff games.
DEFENCE, DEFENCE, DEFENCE: After the massive storm that hit the region hard pushed Friday’s originally scheduled game against Detroit back to Feb. 27, Smith spent part of the extended break with family. But he didn’t leave the job completely. He continued to look over video, recognizing that the Senators need to clean up their defensive play if they have any hope of finding the necessary consistency to climb the ladder up the standings.
“With that extra day (off), you review that (Washington) game and you see what you gave up and what you didn’t create, and you try to give the players something when they come back (Tuesday) to cling to,” he said. “Defensively, we’ve got to be sharper. It doesn’t matter who is out, who is in. When we’re winning games, we’re not giving up much. When we’re not winning games, we’re giving up way too much. It’s clear all over the league, and that’s something we talked about.”
The Senators didn’t have to look far for motivation. The Bruins entered Tuesday’s game with a remarkable 27-4-2 record, having allowed only 74 goals in 33 games.
INJURIES AND MORE INJURIES: There was mixed news on the Senators injury front Tuesday, once again prompting the recall of defenceman Dillon Heatherington and Jake Lucchini from Belleville of the American Hockey League.
Naturally, having Sanderson back in the lineup is vital, but the news on fellow defenceman Erik Brannstrom wasn’t so good. Brannstrom remains out with a leg injury.
“We thought maybe after the break, but it hasn’t got much better,” Smith said.
Bernard-Docker, who hasn’t played since Nov. 19 due to an ankle injury, was back on the ice for the morning skate Tuesday and he stayed late for extra work. It’s possible he could play Thursday in Washington against the Capitals.
Up front, the laundry list of injuries continues. While Josh Norris continues to skate with the team, there was no update on if and when he could get the go-ahead from the medical staff to fully ramp up contact to test his shoulder, with an eye towards returning in January.
Mathieu Joseph, suffering through an aggravating leg injury, skated briefly on Boxing Day, but he “didn’t feel great,” according to Smith. The plan is for another week of rest before attempting to go back on the ice again.
Tyler Motte (finger) and Rourke Chartier (undisclosed upper body) were also missing Tuesday after leaving during last week’s loss to Washington. Motte is out “week to week”, while there’s a possibility Chartier could play against the Capitals.
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