Thomas Chabot leaves Senators game after cross-check from JT Miller
Thomas Chabot exited early as head coach Travis Green saw his top defenseman take a heavy cross-check from JT Miller.
The play happened in the neutral zone. Miller drove his stick straight into Chabot's arm with force.
Chabot stayed on his skates briefly. But he was in clear pain and couldn't continue his shift.
By the start of the second period, he wasn't on the bench.
That's when the concern really set in for Ottawa.
They were already without Jake Sanderson. Now both top defensemen were out of the picture.
The timing couldn't be worse.
Ottawa forced into survival mode
At that point, the Senators were in control, leading 1-0 and outshooting the Rangers 15-4.
Chabot had been part of that strong start, moving the puck cleanly and handling top minutes.
Once he left, the entire structure shifted.
Green had no choice but to spread minutes across a thinner blue line. That changes every matchup.
Breakouts get messier. Gap control gets harder. And the Rangers start to find space.
JT Miller's hit didn't just remove a player. It altered the flow of the game.
Ottawa is sitting at 81 points, trying to stay alive in the playoff race.
Losing a top-pair defenseman mid-game puts that push under real pressure.
And if this turns into more than a one-game absence, the consequences grow quickly.
The Senators don't have the margin to absorb this kind of loss.
Inside that room, they know exactly what's at stake now.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 23|69 ANSWERS Thomas Chabot leaves Senators game after cross-check from JT Miller Did JT Miller go too far on the cross-check to Thomas Chabot ? | ||
| Yes | 59 | 85.5 % |
| No | 10 | 14.5 % |
| List of polls | ||