As the Ottawa Senators cling to their season in Game 3 of Round One against the Carolina Hurricanes, the team may have lost its top defenseman for the foreseeable future. In a report from Sportsnet, Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson has left the game with an injury.
Unfortunately, there’s no clear indication as to what caused Sanderson to leave the game. In a breakdown from Kevin Bieksa on Sportsnet, Sanderson may have been injured from taking a hit to the head from Carolina Hurricane Taylor Hall, or from blocking a shot with his left hand earlier in the game.
In any case, it would be detrimental to the Senators’ chances if they lose Sanderson for Game 4. As Bieksa noted, he is the team’s best defenseman, and his absence would put Ottawa in a nearly inescapable hole. Although they did return Tyler Kleven tonight, the team is already without Artem Zub and Nick Jensen.
Like the rest of the team, Sanderson was quiet in Game 1, but showed up in a big way in Game 2. He recorded an assist on both of Ottawa’s goals and has averaged over 35 minutes thanks to a nearly five-period contest on Monday.
Sanderson’s role as the team’s top defenseman is unquestioned. He led the team in scoring among defensemen, registering 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games with a +16 rating. Additionally, he led the team in ATOI by a significant margin with 24:50. The next was Thomas Chabot, who averaged 22:35 throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
I’ll tell you a guy who needs firing is the Ottawa Coach. I’ve never seen so many dumb mistakes in a Playoff game in my life. he’s horrible.
Ottawa is nowhere near big boy hockey, Travis Green can’t coach at the NHL level.