Senators proud of prospect Zibanejad
Whenottawasenatorsdefenceman Sergei Gonchar came onto the practice ice wearing a helmet in Swedish yellow with Mika Zibanejad’s No. 93 on the back, it wasn’t too difficult to tell who lost the bet over the world junior final in Calgary between Russia and Sweden.
Just to make sure there was no doubt, Erik Karlsson wore Zibanejad’s No. 93 sweater as a salute to the Senators prospect and fellow Swede.
Zibanejad, of course, scored the overtime goal Thursday to give the Swedes a 1-0 victory over the Russians.
Karlsson and Alfredsson watched the end of the game in the team’s lounge after their own 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“We’re obviously very happy that he scored that goal,” said Karlsson. “It was pretty nerve-racking. Any shot can go in in overtime.
“When Mika got that chance, I kind of knew he was going to score.”
OVERTIME: Edmonton Oilers D Ryan Whitney, who will be missing his seventh straight game tonight when the Oilers face the Stars in Dallas, returned from seeing his foot specialist in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday. He’s trying to get more strength in his right ankle that was repaired about a year ago when a tendon was dislocated. “That’s why we’re taking our time here,” said head coach Tom Renney. “We have to listen to the athlete and how he thinks he’s doing.”