Friday’s practice brought plenty of positive injury updates to the Ottawa Senators, captured by the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. Captain Brady Tkachuk has confirmed he’ll return on Saturday after missing Ottawa’s last two games with a lower-body injury sustained at the 4-Nations Face-Off. Centers Joshua Norris and Shane Pinto were also full participants at Friday’s practice and seem close to a return of their own, though they haven’t been confirmed just yet. Both centermen are recovering from upper-body injuries. Pinto has been out for Ottawa’s last four games, while Norris has missed the last six.
The Senators are in desperate need for this wave of replacement. They’ve dropped their last five games, dating back to before the 4-Nations break, while getting outscored eight-to-23. That imbalance is largely thanks to the absence of Tkachuk and Norris, the team’s top two goal scorers. Tkachuk has 21 goals and 44 points through 56 games, while Norris has 19 goals and 31 points in 50 games. They’re closely followed by Shane Pinto, who has managed 11 goals and 22 points in 46 games and grown to a second-line role. Tkachuk leads the Senators in shots-per-game, while Pinto and Norris rank third and sixth among the team’s forwards. Their return should instantly spur a Senators team that’s managed just 26.8 shots-per-game over their losing streak.
The wave of returnees will force the Senators to shake up their lineup once again. Forwards Angus Crookshank and Jan Jenik are likely the first on the chopping block, after making their first and second NHL appearances of the season in Ottawa’s last game. Neither has managed any scoring.
Ottawa will also need to shelve a defender after icing seven in their last effort – but deciding who could be a challenge. Top-four defender Nick Jensen left Ottawa’s Friday practice early nursing a limp, per Garrioch. No update on Jensen’s pain was provided, but Garrioch adds the defender was already playing through an injury. Tyler Kleven was also absent from practice with what head coach Travis Green referred to as a “strain”. Green did not rule out Kleven for Saturday’s matchup. Both defenders have found a routine groove on Ottawa’s right-side. Jensen has 18 points in 53 games this season. He also ranks second on the team with a plus-11. Kleven hasn’t been as lucky, with just four points and a minus-five in 58 games.