MacArthur joins Sens on flight to New York
That sigh of relief you heard before the Ottawa Senators left town was news that winger Clarke MacArthur accompanied his teammates on the trip.
The veteran winger might even be available to play Tuesday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Coach Guy Boucher reiterated Sunday that MacArthur’s undisclosed injury has nothing to do with his past history of concussions and he’s confident MacArthur will be able to skate with the team Monday.
MacArthur is back after missing nearly two years with post-concussion syndrome and left Saturday’s double-overtime victory over the Rangers in the second period after an open-ice hit from Ryan McDonagh late in the first. MacArthur took a couple of shifts in the second, didn’t feel right and went to the dressing room.
MacArthur has an upper-body injury.
“Clarke is feeling much better, so he’s hopeful for Tuesday for sure,” Boucher said.
If MacArthur can’t play, though, Boucher has the option of dressing winger Tom Pyatt, who has been
cleared to return after suffering an injury in Game 4 of the Boston series. He was available to return Saturday, but Boucher didn’t want to change a winning lineup and it didn’t sound like he’s in a hurry to make any moves for Game 3 either.
That says a lot because Pyatt is one of Boucher’s most trusted players, but this is why the club loaded up with depth at the trade deadline so that they could be ready for these types of situations in the playoffs.
“(Tommy) Wingels has been in the lineup and we’ve won three in a row with the same lineup,” Boucher said. “We might still go with the same lineup depending on Clarke. If we need to change something, (Pyatt) is ready and, of course, has been an important part of our team.
“He brings speed and he was actually one of our better players against the Rangers during the season. He’s a great penalty kill, he’s really fast and he plays great with (Jean-Gabriel) Pageau and (Mike) Hoffman, so that’s a possibility. We’ll see. We just want to see what’s going on exactly with all the guys.”
Defenceman Mark Borowiecki isn’t close to a return from the leg injury he suffered Round 1 versus the Bruins. Boucher offered no timetable for his recovery.