With the clock winding down and and the visiting Buffalo Sabres pressing with an extra attacker, Jakob Silfverberg was one of the players Paul MacLean called upon to preserve Ottawa’s one goal lead.
As Buffalo worked the puck back to the point and fired, Silfverberg was struck on his left hand. Although he eventually got back up, picked up his stick and finished his shift, once he got back to the bench, he immediately went to the dressing room.
Considering the number of injuries that have already plagued the Senators — Jared Cowen, Jason Spezza, Sergei Gonchar, Guillaume Latendresse and even prospective AHL recall candidates like Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman – concern for Silfverberg’s health was palpable.
The last thing the organization needs is to see another top six forward go down.
The good news is that Silfverberg will not miss any time. Per Mendes, Silfverberg is expected to play tonight against the Hurricanes.
(Silfverberg) indicated the puck hit him on one of the knuckles on his left hand, but there was enough padding to help cushion the blow.
Yes, good thing there was just enough padding to cushion the blow on his hand and our psyche.
Lundin’s Imminent Return
The big news from yesterday was that defenceman Mike Lundin practiced with his teammates and after practice today, it has been confirmed that he will make his Senators debut tonight.
Lundin had missed Ottawa’s first ten games while recovering from surgery to one of his fingers. He suffered the injury while playing overseas in Europe.
Coupled with the expectation that Sergei Gonchar will make his return to the lineup tonight, the Senators are starting to get healthy at a position many considered to be their weakest position. At least in the interim, the Senators will carry eight defencemen on their roster in the interim but eventually, the team will have to move one of their defencemen on a two-way contract back to Bingo – the most likely candidate being Mark Borowiecki.
Considering how much has been made of Erik Karlsson’s average ice-time of late, the health of Gonchar and Lundin certainly shed light on comments made by Paul MacLean at practice yesterday:
“I guess there is (a risk) with the compacted schedule, but he’s a pretty young guy. There’s always a risk, whether you’re playing 15 (minutes) or 20 or 25 or 30, but he has the capability of handling the 30 minutes. A lot of times, the game, and how the team is playing, dictates it. Right now, we feel he’s at a level that he can keep playing. His fitness level is a big part of it."
“I think you will see Erik’s numbers come down to a more manageable number, down to 25 (minutes) or whatnot. When we play Wiercioch, Borowiecki and Benoit (in the same game), it’s reasonable to expect his numbers to be higher because he’s playing more special teams.”
It's a welcomed piece of news.
New Peter Joynt Track
By now I’d imagine that everyone who has attended a Senators game of late or is simply familiar with the Senators internet community has at some point come across Peter Joynt’s ‘CapCity’ video.
Well, Peter’s back with a new track that I believe he performed at this week’s graffiti-themed Ferguslea Sens Soiree.
Check out the video below and give him a follow on Twitter (@capcity).
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