Borowiecki indefinitely out with ankle injury
Borowiecki ruled out indefinitely with ankle injury
The Ottawa Senators will have to move on without Mark Borowiecki.
As the Senators prepare for Round 3 of the Battle of Ontario tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canadian Tire Centre, they’ll be without rugged alternate captain indefinitely. Borowiecki suffered what coach D.J. Smith called a high-ankle injury in Ottawa’s 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night to open a six-game homestand.
Since the extent of the injury has yet to be determined, that means the veteran defenceman also won’t suit up against the Dallas Stars on Sunday (6 p.m., TSN5, TSN1200). But he’s not listed as day-to-day.
“There’s a lot of swelling and we’ll have more of an update this week,” Smith said following the Senators’ 30-minute skate Friday. “I don’t know if it’s high (on the ankle), low or whatever it is, he’s not going to play for the next little bit here.”
Losing Borowiecki is a big blow to the blue line. He’s been one of the Senators’ most consistent performers on the back end this season and they’ll miss his veteran presence, especially with a team such as the archrival Leafs in town for this one.
“Just his mental preparation, how hard he plays, his leadership in the room and the whole thing will certainly be missed, but we have other guys that will pick up the slack,” Smith said.
The Senators will insert veteran defenceman Cody Goloubef in Borowiecki’s spot.
Not only has he contributed defensively, but Borowiecki has done his part offensively, with seven goals and 11 assists in 53 games this season.
Winger Nick Paul missed a month with a high-ankle sprain he suffered against the Washington Capitals in January and he knows what a difficult road Borowiecki has ahead of him trying to come back from this ailment.
“Right now, it’s just trying to get the swelling down, ice, pressure and staying off it a little bit,” Paul said. “The first day is usually the worst. You wake up, you think it’s fine and it’s really, really painful.
“It’s tough. It’s one of those where after about five days you start feeling good and all of a sudden you’re able to walk on it and then you make one false move it feels like you just re-did the whole thing. High ankles are tough and, like I said, there’s no muscle or area that you can work on to make it better.
“It’s just one of those things (where) you’ve got to wait for it to heal.”
NOT GOING ANYWHERE
You have to think this all but guarantees Borowiecki will finish the year with the Senators.
There had been no shortage of speculation that Borowiecki, an unrestricted free agent on July 1, could be among the veterans moved before the trade deadline set for Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. EST. There wasn’t any certainty he’d be dealt and there’s been speculation that general manager Pierre Dorion would hold talks with Borowiecki’s camp this week to see what his thoughts were on a contract extension.
The reality is, even if the Senators were to deal Borowiecki, they weren’t just going to move him for another draft pick. The club has 10 pending UFAs and the interest in most of the players has been limited at best. The Senators have lots of picks and prospects in the organization, so they weren’t going to deal Borowiecki for the sake of a late-round pick.
READY FOR BATTLE
The Senators are hoping to play the role of spoilers down the stretch.
They can hurt the Leafs’ playoff chances with a victory on Saturday but they’re 0-1-1 against Toronto this season. After the victory over the Coyotes, Smith referred to the rest of the schedule as “free playoff games” because most of the teams the Senators are playing are trying to get to the post-season.
“This is a big game for the Leafs. Every game for them is a big game because they’re battling for a playoff spot, so for us this is free experience,” Smith said. “We get to play against some of the best players in the world and give our guys the experience.
“We’ll be ready to go.”
With back-to-back games this weekend, the expectation is Marcus Hogberg and Craig Anderson will split the goaltending duties, but Smith has stopped announcing his starter the day before the game for competitive reasons.
THE LAST WORDS
Winger Tyler Ennis, who suited up for the 600th game of his career, left the ice just before the end of practice Friday. Smith called it a maintenance issue and noted Ennis should be fine to suit up against the Leafs. There’s little chance Ennis, one of the team’s UFAs, will be among those dealt before the deadline. … Defenceman Christian Wolanin, who has been out all season recovering from shoulder surgery after suffering an injury before camp, suited up for his first game Friday with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville. Wolanin joined the B-Sens on Monday and made his debut against the Toronto Marlies. He’s expected to see some playing time here this season, especially if Borowiecki is out for an extended period, but the Senators feel it’s important for Wolanin to get used to playing again in Belleville. … With Filip Chlapik sent back to the AHL Friday, the Senators will insert rugged winger Scott Sabourin into the lineup versus the Leafs.