Tonight could get them into the playoffs
Senators’ dramatic week continues in Boston amid endless run of injuries
What fresh drama, what new suspense might we expect from the Ottawa Senators in Thursday’s pivotal game against the Boston Bruins?
Daniel Alfredsson parachuting down from the front office to centre ice? Chris Phillips making an emergency return to fill the injury void on defence?
The Senators need only a single point to clinch a playoff berth, but there has been so much surprise this week, we might be best off to expect the unexpected.
In Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Detroit, we experienced the intrigue of Clarke MacArthur’s startling and spirit-lifting return to the lineup after an 18-month absence.
On Monday in Detroit, captain Erik Karlsson performed his own amazing race from Ottawa just to play, a game that also featured the NHL debut of top prospect Colin White.
Karlsson is questionable to play against the Bruins. After tumbling into the boards late in Tuesday’s win and not returning to action with a heel injury, the Sens captain was skating awkwardly as he accepted secondstar honours.
“It’s nothing, really,” Karlsson said immediately after the game, suggesting his removal from the contest was simply a precautionary move and that Freddy Claesson and Ben Harpur were doing an outstanding job of shutting down Detroit.
“Once he hit the boards, there was a little sting there,” said Senators coach Guy Boucher. “It had nothing to do with (the injury that kept him out last week). We waited to see if we were going to need (Karlsson) and just a bit of rest there is fine.”
As has become customary, the Senators didn’t practise on Wednesday, so there was no update on Karlsson’s status.
Again, though, what would the final week of the Senators’ regular season be without having some unknowns in the air?
Considering the seemingly endless run of injuries — Marc Methot, Zack Smith, Bobby Ryan and Cody Ceci are all out for the remainder of the regular season — Boucher isn’t allowing himself to get overly optimistic about anything that might be happening in the trainers’ room.
“I hope everything will be OK,” Boucher said after Tuesday’s game. “I’m just going to try and enjoy this win for a few minutes and then go see the docs and the therapists and see what’s happening there.”
Perhaps the suspense on Thursday will simply come from the on-ice action. It’s just the latest in a string of crucial contests, this time against a Bruins team that clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday.
“The games ... they keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger, so it’s another test for us, another great atmosphere,” said defenceman Dion Phaneuf, who helped set the physical tone against Detroit.
“As players, you love to be a part of these games. They’re fun to be a part of, but there’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot at stake. We know that.”
We’ll spare you all the combinations and permutations that remain from now until the end of the season on Sunday — we don’t have space here — but if the Senators win or extend the game beyond regulation, they’ll be in the playoffs. Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders still have a sliver of hope of stealing a postseason spot.
A Senators victory would also go a long way toward guaranteeing them home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. On top of that, there’s a very distinct possibility that, next week, the Senators and Bruins could be going head-tohead in the playoffs for the first time.
The Senators could receive a big bonus if Bruins star scorer and agitator Brad Marchand is suspended. Marchand was ejected early in Tuesday’s game against Tampa for his stick attack on Jake Dotckin’s manhood.
Marchand, a repeat offender, has a hearing on Thursday with the NHL’s department of player safety and could be suspended. Both Marchand and Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy described the cringeworthy stickwork as “undisciplined.”
The loss of Marchand, who has 39 goals, would take some of the sting out of the Bruins’ potent power play. Regardless of who is in the lineup, the atmosphere should be heated.
“It’s a great barn to play in,” Karlsson said. “They’re a good team. And it’s a challenge for us. We need to play these games. We’ve been used to playing these (types) of games for a long time now and the next game is another important one.”
If the past few days have been any indication, we should expect a little more theatre and a surprising twist or two along the way.
As players, you love to be a part of these games. They’re fun to be a part of, but there’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot at stake.