Two injuries on Monday night left two teams waiting on answers, and both situations carry real weight.
The San Jose Sharks were already short-handed against the Dallas Stars, then captain Macklin Celebrini was ruled out with a lower-body injury. The encouraging part for San Jose is that Celebrini was reportedly held out for precautionary reasons. Still, his absence was felt immediately in a 5-0 loss to Dallas.
In Ottawa, the Senators lost Linus Ullmark to an undisclosed injury during their game against the Boston Bruins. The Sens still managed a 4-1 win in Boston, but the bigger concern is obvious: when Ullmark is unavailable, the margin for error gets a lot thinner.
On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton dug into why both absences could matter so much.
“Ullmark leaving…If that is anything serious, and they got to go with Sam Ersson, even if it’s 10 to 12 days, that’s got to have you nervous as a Sens fan. For Celebrini, I mean, the numbers speak for themselves.
Last year at five-on-five, they were plus-17 with Celebrini on the ice and minus-44 without him. After getting thumped by the Stars last night, this year, they’re even with Celebrini on the ice so far; they’re now minus-5 without him.
So, whatever one of these two you look at, they are both very concerned if there’s any term to these injuries.”
Hutton pointed to Ullmark as a major piece of Ottawa’s overall ceiling, while also noting the uncertainty that comes with his health history.
“Ullmark is so attached to Ottawa’s ceiling, like where they can go and what they can do in consistency with his injuries, right? This is a guy…he had his leave last year, he’s had some injuries. Then, it’s the unknown of what you have in Ersson.
That being said, Celebrini is like the Sharks’ entire identity, right? I think we saw that firsthand last night without him in the lineup.
Who are the San Jose Sharks? So, I feel like the Ottawa Senators, the way they play, they could get by without Linus for a while, but without Celebrini, it feels like the Sharks just don’t really have that same identity as how he kind of churns that whole offense.”
In Other News...
Senators Suddenly Have A Goalie Problem Fans Feared
Linus Ullmarks status has turned a routine stretch of the schedule into an early test for Ottawas depth in net. The Senators starter exited a recent game and is now day-to-day, leaving the crease to Samuel Ersson, who had already been pressed into action in the win over Boston before getting the next assignment against Detroit.
Erssons work has only sharpened the concern around how long Ottawa can lean on its backups if Ullmark needs more time. Even in a losing effort against the Red Wings, the bigger issue for the Senators is less about one off night than the possibility of having to navigate an extended run without their No. 1 goalie, making his return a key piece of the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Just Sent An Early Message About This Teams New Edge
The Senators showed a different kind of edge Friday night in Detroit, where a routine-looking matchup at Little Caesars Arena quickly turned into a test of backbone. What started with Dylan Larkin going after Ridly Greig set off a chain reaction, and Ottawa did not back away from the moment, even as the game veered far from the usual early-season pace.
Thomas Chabot stepped in for Greig, and the response from both benches kept the tension high as other players joined the fray, including Ben Chiarot and Greig in a separate exchange. By the time the dust settled, the message from Ottawa was hard to miss: this is a team willing to stand up for one another, and opponents are going to notice if they try to push them around. [Read more 🡒]
Sarah Nurse And Emerance Maschmeyer Make A Notable Camp Decision
Sarah Nurse and Emerance Maschmeyer have made a notable choice as Hockey Canada opens its world championship training camp in Quebec City, declining their invitations and shifting their focus toward the Vancouver Goldeneyes. For Ottawa fans following the new landscape around the leagues player pool, the decision stands out because both players remain central names in womens hockey and are tied to a franchise building toward its first season, which begins Dec. 5.
Nurse had initially been included on the Hockey Canada camp list before Alexia Aubin took her place, while several other Goldeneyes players are still set to be part of the national team gathering. The bigger picture, though, is timing: this looks less like a detour than a deliberate move to be available when Vancouvers camp opens Nov. 18, leaving the national team picture and the Goldeneyes early roster plans running on parallel tracks. [Read more 🡒]