On the mend, Lajoie keen to return
Max Lajoie scored the game-winning goal for his team Wednesday.
Of course, it was only during a spirited game of two-on-two, played inside the blue-line, with the reward of avoiding a few wind sprints at the tail end of practice.
Yet it was also a promising sign that the 21-year-old rookie defenceman is on the verge of returning to the Ottawa Senators lineup after missing the past two games with an undisclosed injury.
“I’m feeling good and we’ll see how (Thursday) feels,” Lajoie said about the possibility of returning for the second game of the home-and-away series against the Montreal Canadiens at the Canadian Tire Centre. “It’s just a matter of time now.”
Lajoie has impressed with six goals and six assists in the first 26 games of his NHL career and he has managed to find a benefit while watching from the sidelines. At least he was trying to find the positives from the negatives of being a spectator for Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
“It’s nice to be able to see from above (in the press box) the play,” he said. “That was a tough game for us, and we’ve got them again right away, so that should be a big challenge for us.”
Senators coach Guy Boucher says a decision on Lajoie’s status will be made after either the morning skate or during the pre-game warm-up. If he plays, Boucher will likely have to choose to make either Christian Jaros, Ben Harpur or newcomer Justin Falk a healthy scratch.
Boucher certainly didn’t want to use Lajoie’s absence as any kind of excuse for the sub-par performance on Tuesday that took the steam out of what had been a three-game winning streak.
He didn’t like the Thomas Chabot turnover that led directly to a Max Domi goal, which broke a 1-1 tie late in the second period.
Boucher was also shaking his head at the fact the Senators lost their cool yet again in trying to tie the game immediately. Instead of rallying, the team gave up a second Domi goal and another from Artturi Lehkonen before the period ended. What had been a tight game turned into a 4-1 Canadiens lead with three goals in a 3:39 span.
Naturally enough, Wednesday’s day at the office featured a video session and an on-ice practice emphasizing, yet again, the fundamentals of a sound defensive game. The Senators have given up at least five goals in eight of 13 road games and in 11 of 28 contests overall.
Centre Zack Smith, however, called Tuesday’s defeat a “hiccup” from the improved defensive game the club had showcased in its previous four games.
“We weren’t quite ready to play right from the start,” said Smith. “They were better and kept their foot on the gas. It’s only one game. We’re only a few days away from playing our best hockey of the year.
“We still have confidence. (Thursday) is a good opportunity and we have a lot to prove. The easy way to explain (the loss) is that our effort level was not there, but we don’t have too many days to think about it.”
Considering the jam-packed nature of the middle and bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, a Senators victory could vault them three, four or even five positions up the ladder.
Rookie left-winger Brady Tkachuk, who hit a pair of posts and narrowly missed another open net Tuesday, said he can’t afford to miss those chances. He couldn’t help but notice that his brother, Matthew, piled up a goal and two assists in Calgary’s wild 9-6 win over Columbus on Tuesday.
“Those are the games you want to play in,” he said.
“It’s frustrating to hit a couple of posts and, if some of those shots go in, it changes the game. But I didn’t play the game I wanted to play. I’ve got to move on and play better. It’s not acceptable. I’ve got to make sure I add a little extra jam and make sure they go in and it changes the momentum.”