The Ottawa Senators are heading into tonight’s matchup with the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center still without Jake Sanderson or Artem Zub in the lineup.
That was already looking likely when the team recalled Belleville Senators defenceman Jorian Donovan for added depth on this short, one-game trip. Earlier, before Ottawa’s comeback win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, extra defenceman Cam Crotty had been ruled out and later placed on the club’s injured list.
At morning skate, head coach Travis Green made a few more adjustments. Warren Foegele is set to get another shot on the top line alongside centre Tim Stützle and winger Drake Batherson, taking the spot of André Burakovsky.
Burakovsky made his regular season debut Saturday on that left wing, but Ottawa is still searching for a better answer there after William Eklund’s left ankle injury. For now, the Senators are leaning on in-house fixes, and none of them have really stuck yet.
Burakovsky has been moved down to the second line with centre Dylan Cozens and left winger Ridly Greig. Ottawa needs more offense from that group, and there will be plenty of attention on Cozens and Burakovsky in particular.
As Andrew Wilimek reported, both players will also be on the top power play unit. With their speed, puck control and skill, the Senators are hoping that setup can produce some looks while Eklund is out.
Fabian Zetterlund has also been dropped back to the fourth line, a spot he occupied for most of last season. He had been pushed into the top six because of his previous chemistry with Eklund in San Jose. Against Nashville, he stayed on a line with Cozens and Greig, but that group still couldn’t generate enough high-end chances.
The one trio that has looked settled so far is Michael Amadio, Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux. Through a little more than 35 minutes together, they’ve posted a 45% expected goal percentage and have combined for 10 goals and 8 assists across five games. After the way they clicked last season, the “GPA line” has been Ottawa’s steadiest offensive unit so far.
In goal, Linus Ullmark is expected to make his fifth start of the season. The Vezina-winning netminder has won all four of his previous starts and enters the night with a 0.942 save percentage and a 1.34 goals-against average. He also has 13 career wins against the Devils, the second-most he has against any opponent.
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Ottawa Prospect Watch Centers On One Encouraging Early Syracuse Trend
The Syracuse Crunch have stumbled to a 1-3-0 start, but Ottawas prospect picture in central New York is not without a few early signs to track. Their latest game, a 3-2 loss to the Belleville Senators, offered another reminder that the Crunch are still trying to find their footing, even as Jakob Pelletier has begun contributing assists after leading the AHL in scoring last season.
For the Senators, the bigger interest may be the steady return of Dominic James, who is working his way back after a broken hand and is expected to rejoin the lineup soon following a conditioning stint. In goal, Mads Sogaard has been the more encouraging of Syracuses two new netminders so far, giving Ottawa another development storyline worth watching as the AHL season settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Injury Trouble Could Change The Trade Market Fast
A strong start to the season has suddenly given the Senators a tougher question to answer, after winger Tim Eklund was lost to injury and Ottawa began sorting through how to replace a top-six forward. The timing matters because this group has been building momentum, and now the pressure shifts to the rest of the lineup to keep the offense moving without one of its key pieces.
Management does not have an easy fix sitting there, and the internal options are already being tested by the demands of the schedule. Andre Burakovsky has only just made his Senators debut after missing four games with an undisclosed preseason injury, which only adds to the sense that Ottawa may have to get creative if it wants to avoid letting a good opening month drift off course. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Fast Start Faces A Bigger Test Amid Key Injury Concerns
Ottawas early-season momentum gets a tougher read this week in Newark, where a 4-1-0 start will be tested against a Devils club that has already shown it can put together a sharp night at Prudential Center. The Senators have been one of the NHLs better surprises out of the gate, but the schedule is starting to ask more of them, and the trip to New Jersey comes with the kind of lineup uncertainty that can quickly change how a fast start looks on the ice.
The injury situation is at the center of it, with Jake Sanderson, William Eklund and Artem Zub all part of the conversation as Ottawa tries to keep its footing. On top of that, the Senators are working through lineup adjustments that may reshape their forward groups in real time, a reminder that early October wins can be fragile when key pieces are unavailable and the margin for error starts to shrink. [Read more 🡒]