Ottawa Senators confirm the worst for Jake Sanderson
Jake Sanderson left after a Brandon Montour hit into the boards, and Ottawa Senators fans felt that familiar injury dread right away.
It happened in Seattle, and it looked like the kind of crash that steals your breath.
Sportsnet reported Sanderson went to the locker room after the impact.
He will not return to tonight's game against Seattle, leaving the Ottawa Senators to finish the night without their top minute-eating defenseman.
That one sentence is enough to change the whole night.
Because when your top minute-eater disappears, every pairing gets stretched.
Ottawa has leaned on Sanderson all season, and you can see it in how often he's on the ice when the game tightens.
The scary part is the unknown, shoulder, head, ribs, you rarely know until the next update.
And there wasn't an immediate, clear answer in the moment.
Sanderson's production has been a big reason Ottawa has stayed in the race, with 11-35-46 in 57 games.
The Senators sit at 30-22-9, which is close enough to dream but not safe enough to absorb a blue line injury.
Seattle is 29-23-9, and that makes every board battle mean a little more, because both teams are living on thin margin.
Jake Sanderson puts Ottawa Senators structure at risk
Sens fans are tired of «injury scare» nights, because the last thing this team needs is another week of scrambling.
If Sanderson can't go, Ottawa loses the defender who settles breakouts with one touch and turns pressure into clean exits.
That changes the forwards too, because they start swinging lower to help, and suddenly your rush game turns conservative.
It also hits the man advantage, where Sanderson's calm decisions up top help Ottawa get into its looks faster.
Montour isn't a villain here, it's hockey speed and bad angles, but the result is still brutal for the team that gets hurt.
Now the key is the next report, whether Sanderson returns, whether it's precautionary, or whether Ottawa has to brace for missed games.
Until then, the Senators just have to survive the game and hope their backbone is only bruised, not broken.
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