Methot could be back for Sens
OTTAWA — Marc Methot’s recovery from a lacerated finger is pointed in the right direction.
Whether that means the Ottawa Senators veteran defenceman will return to the lineup is in the hands of the club’s medical staff, coach Guy Boucher and Methot himself.
Trailing 1-0 to the Boston Bruins in this Round 1 series as they prepare for Game 2 Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre, on Friday Boucher and Methot wanted to buy more time before making a determination on whether he’ll come back from the injury he suffered after a terrible late-March slash from Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
Judging by Friday’s 45-minute twirl at the Bell Sensplex, Methot looked a lot better skating beside captain Erik Karlsson than he did before the club’s 2-1 loss in Game 1 Wednesday. And, if Methot shows up feeling good Saturday morning, he’ll be given the green light to suit up for the first time in 11 games.
Methot spoke with confidence Friday. If he doesn’t play Saturday, he’ll almost certainly be back Monday in Game 3 at the TD Garden as the series moves to Boston.
At this point, his chances for a return are 50/50, which is a major improvement over Tuesday.
“I felt pretty good out there and, at this point, we’re just going to have to wait until (Saturday) morning and see what happens and discuss everything with the coaches and the trainers,” Methot told reporters Friday.
Though Methot has been medically cleared to play, he needs to be capable of doing his job before he’s given the opportunity to get into the playoffs. The Senators can’t have him lacking confidence or wondering if he’s going to be able to make crisp passes.
He wants to be sure he’s ready and, of course, so do the Senators.
“There’s a whole bunch of stuff going on,” Methot said. “At the end of the day, I just want to be able to an effective player and help the team when I am coming back in and not hurting anybody by coming back prematurely.
“When I get to that point, I’ll know, whether it’s tomorrow or the next game, we’ll deal with it.”
Boucher repeated Friday that Methot “was ready to go last game” but the Senators don’t want to put him in a situation where he’s not helpful.
“We’re obviously getting closer and closer. For me, it’s about, can he shoot?” Boucher said.
“He can do everything else. I know he can wrist the puck, but now it’s a question of can he, under pressure, can he give us a good shot when he needs to? That’s why I’ve got to go find out but we’re getting really, really close that’s for sure.”
Of course, Methot isn’t a goal scorer so when Boucher talks about shooting the puck, he’s referring to getting it out of the defensive zone while under pressure.
“It’s about clears and stuff like that on the (penalty kill),” Methot said. “It’s not like I’m getting ton of shots every game five-on-five on the offensive blueline.
“It’s just so you’re not a liability out there and I certainly don’t want to put the team in that position and they know that. I felt pretty good out there today, so it was a good sign.”
The extra day between games was helpful for Methot. In his case, every day has been important on his road to recovery.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Methot called it one of the most painful injuries he has ever had because the slash left the end of his finger hanging by a thread and it had to be sewn back on.
“I’ve been taken care of very well here with the training staff we have in the back and the group of medical guys that have been coming in and checking in on me,” Methot said. “We’ve taken all the right steps and, hopefully, we’ll remain on that same path as I get back and I start playing some games.”
Injuries are always a big deal in the playoffs and if Methot does return he was asked if he was worried the Bruins might target his finger because this isn’t an injury he’s been able to hide under the upperor lower-body label. “No, not at all,” Methot said. Yes, Fredrik Claesson has been a solid replacement. However, if the Senators can get Methot back that would be a big addition. He finished plus-13 in the regular season and has 20 games of playoff experience.
“Any time he’s ready to play it would be good for us,” Karlsson said. “He’s been out for awhile but he’s been skating well and he’s in good shape.”