Senators’ wait is nearly over
Star blueliner Karlsson could be good to go Tuesday when the Canucks visit Ottawa
The Ottawa Senators will have Erik Karlsson waiting for them when they arrive home from their Western Canada road swing.
Senators coach Guy Boucher told reporters Saturday if all has gone well the last seven days, the Senators superstar captain could suit up for his first game since off-season foot surgery as early Tuesday against the Canucks.
It’s the opener of a five-game homestand at Canadian Tire Centre.
If Karlsson doesn’t rejoin the lineup against the Canucks, Boucher said he fully expects the defenceman to play later in the week — either Thursday against the New Jersey Devils or Oct. 21 against the Maple Leafs.
The good news is Karlsson is close and any points the Senators can get until he returns — they had six in the four games without him heading into Saturday’s contest against the Oilers — are most helpful in their quest to return to the playoffs.
“I think all points, whether your best player is in or are out, are crucial at any time,” veteran centre Nate Thompson said. “But for us, to have guys step up and play bigger minutes and fill that void, you’re not going to have guys play like (Karlsson), but when you have guys (doing the job) in a committee-like way, I think it’s big.”
Through training camp and the first 10 days of the season, Boucher has compared the Senators not having Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins being without captain Sidney Crosby or the Oilers trying to win without Connor McDavid. It has been a big test of Ottawa’s resiliency.
“We’re not a powerhouse team, but I think we’re a team and that’s power,” Boucher said. “That’s what we were last year. This is a team that’s got terrific intangibles, great relationships, great chemistry and great leadership.”
Boucher said the Senators learned through the adversity they went through last season. That included the two-month absence of goaltender Craig Anderson to be with his wife Nicholle, who was battling cancer, and the loss of forward Clarke MacArthur for most of the season because of post-concussion syndrome.
Despite all that and more, the Senators still made the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference final. That experience has paid off while the Senators wait for Karlsson to return.
The club dressed seven defencemen in a 6-0 win Friday against the Calgary Flames and nobody on the blue-line played more than 20 minutes.
“I was looking at some of my game sheets and I couldn’t believe some of the lineups we had last year with so many guys being brought up or guys injured,” Boucher said.
“Whether it’s goaltending or (Mike Condon) playing (27) games, missing (Mark) Stone for two months or Bobby (Ryan), we were missing high-end players and we still managed to win because the guys stuck together and wanted to be on the same page.”
The Senators know that without Karlsson they’ve had to change their approach because so much of what happens on the ice runs through him and this group has embraced the challenge.
“I think there were a lot of people, Sens fans included, who thought we were going to struggle. We’ve gotten points in every game we’ve played so far,” defenceman Mark Borowiecki said before facing the Oilers. “Every player is a piece to the puzzle and some pieces are bigger and Karl is one of those big pieces.
“But it’s a team game for a reason. We have a lot of talent in this room, we have a lot of sound fundamentals and it’s been paying off.”