OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators will be without top defenceman Jake Sanderson when they face elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday.
Sens head coach Travis Green confirmed Friday that Sanderson suffered a concussion during Thursday night’s 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
“He’s not doing very well. Won’t play tomorrow,” Green told the media.
Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall hit Sanderson in the head in the second period and was given a minor penalty. Sanderson played two more shifts after the hit but then left during the Senators’ 5-on-3 power play.
Green revealed Friday that Sanderson pulled himself out of the game.
“[Concussion] Spotters didn’t pull him,” Green said. “He just wasn’t feeling well.”
Green voiced his displeasure that Hall didn’t receive a more severe punishment given the impact of the injury. He also told reporters he wasn’t aware of a report that that the Department of Player Safety had already made a decision not to take a closer look at the hit.
“I’d be shocked if there wasn’t supplementary discipline in this event. It’s a blatant shot to the head,” Green said. “Shocked that it wasn’t a major. I’m surprised that there’s not some kind of talk about supplementary discipline. I never heard there isn’t.”
Sanderson averages 24:50 minutes per game, the most of any Senators skater. He also quarterbacks the Senators top power-play unit.
“He’s a competitive guy. He wants to play,” Green said. “It’s obviously a big part of our team. He’s one of the better young defencemen in the league. It’s a shame that he’s out.”
The loss of one of Ottawa’s top defenders is amplified by the fact that the team was already without Artem Zub, who normally plays on the top unit with Sanderson. Zub suffered a lower-body injury in Game 1 against Carolina and hasn’t skated since.
“Not something new to our group for the last little while,” Green said. “I think we’ve played with 12 or 13 defencemen since the Olympic break. Our whole focus is on how we can play better and winning the next game.”
Green didn’t indicate who might replace Sanderson in the Senators lineup on Saturday afternoon. However, there’s a high chance Tyler Kleven will be paired with Nikolas Matinpalo after the two played together occasionally in the regular season.
Dennis Gilbert and Lassi Thomson, who saw action together in Game 2 of the series, could be a likely option as the third defensive pairing.
