Injured foot forces Karlsson to sit out
Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher almost ran out of breath in describing what happens when captain Erik Karlsson isn’t in the lineup.
“Anybody losing their top player, it’s obviously a gigantic hole,” Boucher said before the Karlssonless Senators took on the Boston Bruins. “But we’ve had games without Erik (before). We were playing it tight and we have to play the same way. We don’t have the same breakout abilities. We don’t have the same taking-the-rush abilities, the transition into the offensive zone and all that. And the power play.”
Now, Boucher, along with Karlsson’s teammates and Senators fans, are holding their breath, hoping that the official word that the foot injury is “day to day” means he’ll be back for weekend games against the New York Rangers and New York Islanders.
Just about everything with the Senators starts with Karlsson, who is in a neck-and-neck battle with San Jose’s Brent Burns to win the Norris Trophy as top NHL defenceman.
Replacing his team-leading point totals — 17 goals and 54 assists in 77 games — is, of course, impossible.
But there are also an endless number of intangibles — from his ability to quickly close gaps in the neutral zone, which keeps pressure on the opposition, to the breathtaking speed that breaks up odd-man rushes against — that separates him from just about anyone else in the NHL.
There’s no way the Senators can survive long-term without him.
The consolation is that by the time Saturday rolls around, Karlsson will have been off the ice for three straight days, putting no additional strain on his foot.
What further magnifies his injury is the fact that Marc Methot — Karlsson’s regular defence partner — is also out. Methot, whose finger was ripped apart by a slash from Sidney Crosby on March 23, continues to visit with specialists to determine the proper course of action.
The one surprise Thursday was that Cody Ceci made a quickerthan-expected return from his lower-body injury. For all his critics, Ceci plays big minutes. His average of 23:15 per game ranks second on the team only to Karlsson and he typically plays against the most skilled of opposition forwards.
While Jyrki Jokipakka was a late scratch because of Ceci’s return, Binghamton call-up Ben Harpur remained in the lineup.
In the absence of Karlsson and Methot, Dion Phaneuf continues to shoulder a heavier load.