Spezza is no easy fit in Sens lineup
Captain and No. 1 centre seems ready to return against Canadiens
OTTAWA — When your captain and No. 1 centre for the past decade returns from a hip injury, has a full practice and takes the train ride to the next game, it’s a no-brainer that he’ll be back in the lineup, right? Not so fast. There are countless issues in play as the upbeat Ottawa Senators consider whether to use Jason Spezza against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Including: The difference between being able to play and being 100 per cent convinced there’s no danger of re-injury. “I felt pretty good out there (at practice Friday) and had a good skate, but I’ve got to talk to the trainers first and probably, ultimately, leave the decision up to them,” Spezza said.
Three days off between Saturday’s contest and the Senators’ next game at Denver against the Colorado Avalanche. “If we played Saturday and Sunday, it might change the decision but, because we play Saturday and then Wednesday, the trainers might strongly advise me not to play (Saturday) just to take extra days and extra practices, so we’ll see,” Spezza said.
The reality that the Sen- ators are on a roll, having tied a season-high with three consecutive victories, all without Spezza. The Senators are 15-18-6 with Spezza this season and 3-0-1 without him. Including last season, when he missed significant time because of back problems and surgery, the Senators are 18-19-8 when he plays and 2516-4 when he’s out.
“Sometimes, when you have those top end guys (playing, other players) wait for them to do it, whereas when they’re not there, somebody has to step up and do it,” coach Paul MacLean said.
If Spezza does play Saturday, MacLean will also have to make some tough decisions on exactly where the captain plays.
The coach will be reluctant to break up Milan Michalek, Mika Zibanejad and Cory Conacher, who have excelled since Spezza injured a hip flexor against the Boston Bruins. Clarke MacArthur, Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan continue to show chemistry together, while Erik Condra has replaced the injured Chris Neil on an effective shutdown line that also includes Colin Greening and Zack Smith.
Zibanejad, 20, is fast claiming ownership of a full-time job at centre. He turned in yet another solid performance in Thursday’s 4-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets, producing a goal, an assist, four shots on goal and four hits.
MacLean spun all that as a pleasant problem.
“We’re going to endeavour to (keep Zibanejad at centre) as best we can but, at the same time, we’re getting Jason Spezza back and he’s a pretty good player in this league and there’s a long history in the league, playing well at centre,” MacLean said. “We’ll evaluate it when we have to make the decision, but Mika is playing well at centre right now.”
Just as importantly, Conacher and Michalek have shown plenty of spark with Zibanejad as their centre.
“They’ve played with speed and played positionally very sound, and Mika has been very good skating in the middle of the rink and showing patience in the middle of the rink,” MacLean said. “They’ve attacked the net and cut to the net, which is a big part of reason they’re having success. They have the puck and they’re putting it on the net.”
As much as Spezza has hated sitting out during the winning streak, he expresses excitement at seeing the team climb up the Eastern Conference standings. The Senators are three points behind the Detroit Red Wings and four behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for what would be the second wild-card playoff spot.
“I don’t think (Thursday) was our best game, but we found a way to win and that’s a great sign for our group,” Spezza said.