Sens’ Duclair, DeMelo set to return against Caps
There figures to be some finger and foot pain involved, but both Dylan DeMelo and Anthony Duclair appear ready to return to bolster the Senators lineup Tuesday.
Both took regular shifts at practice before leaving for Washington and all but confirmed they’ll be in the lineup against the Washington Capitals.
“Everything is feeling good, it was another good day,” said DeMelo, who was on a familiar pairing with workhorse defenceman Thomas Chabot. “We’ll see how (Tuesday) goes and we’ll go from there.”
BAND-AID SOLUTION: After taking a shot off the hand against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 11, DeMelo has missed the past 10 games with a broken finger.
“I just want to do what I was doing before, just steady play, moving the puck and being reliable defensively,” he said. “Having an injury at that time kind of sucked, because I was in a groove.”
Some discomfort remains while holding the stick, but DeMelo has worked with the training and equipment staff to find the best solution to protect the finger under the glove.
“It took a little while to get used to and when I first got back (to practice),” he said. “Maybe I was babying it a little bit. Any time you come back from a break, you’re maybe not mentally 100 per cent right away.”
TAKING A LOAD OFF CHABOT: DeMelo’s pending return is a sight for the Senators’ defensively sore eyes. It’s also possible that Ron Hainsey, who skated with the team Monday, could return from his lower-body injury Friday against Detroit. Fellow veteran defenceman Nikita Zaitsev is also believed to be only days away from returning from his lower body ailment. Hainsey has missed six games and Zaitsev has been gone for 10.
“As we get more players back, the minutes will go down and everyone will do their part,” said Chabot, who has topped the 27-minute mark in eight straight games, including a 30:12 clocking in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. “Everyone will have their part. That’s better for everyone and as a group, we’ll play better. Having the older guys back is going to help.”
Once DeMelo, Hainsey and/or Zaitsev are officially cleared to play, Christian Jaros and Andreas Englund will be headed back to Belleville.
DUCLAIR-ING HIMSELF ALMOST READY: Both Duclair and coach D.J. Smith were confident the 21-goal scorer will return against Washington.
“It felt good, a step in the right direction,” said Duclair, who skated on a line with Brady Tkachuk and Jean- Gabriel Pageau. “There’s just a little bit of pain. If I get out there, I want to make sure I’m able to compete and battle out there.”
The injury meant Duclair was unable to show off his speed at Sunday’s skills competition.
Somewhat shockingly, Duclair says he has never taken part in a speedskating event at the NHL level.
“The last time I did it was probably in pee wee, so I have had no practice,” said Duclair.
“I was looking forward to it. It’s nice for the fans to see that. And it’s fun for the players to compete against each other. It’s just tough timing.”