After A Rough Ending In Chicago, Andre Burakovsky's Fresh Start Begins Saturday

The Senators are getting one of their injured forwards back just as another heads to long-term injured reserve.

Andre Burakovsky is expected to make his Senators debut on Saturday night when they host the Nashville Predators at Canadian Tire Centre.

The veteran winger's return comes at an important time for the Senators, who just placed William Eklund on long-term injured reserve after a serious ankle injury in Thursday night's 2-1 home-opening victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Eklund was hurt in the first period after taking a hit from Flyers defenceman Simon Benoit and awkwardly jamming his skate into the base of the boards. He needed help getting off the ice and was unable to put any weight on his left leg.

The Senators haven't confirmed the exact nature of the ankle injury or provided a timetable for his return, but head coach Travis Green said Eklund will be out for "an extended period of time."

The move to LTIR means Eklund must miss at least 10 games and 24 calendar days from the date of his injury.

Based on the morning skate combinations, it looks like Green will plug Burakovsky right into Eklund's spot alongside Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson.

Burakovsky participated in Saturday's morning skate wearing a regular jersey, as did defencemen Artem Zub and Kurtis MacDermid. While that's encouraging news on the injury front, Zub isn't ready to return against Nashville.

For Burakovsky, it's a great chance to turn the page on a very rough finish to last season.

The Senators acquired the former Stanley Cup champion from Chicago during the offseason, hoping a change of scenery might help him rediscover some of the offensive production that once made him a valuable top-six forward.

His final stretch with the Blackhawks was especially tough. Burakovsky managed just four points in his final 32 games last season, despite spending much of that time playing alongside Connor Bedard. But he started the year with 29 points in his first 43 games, and the Sens would be thrilled with that version of the player.

The Senators enter Saturday's game with a 3-1 record, having won their first two games on the road against Toronto and Boston before looking tired and stumbling in Detroit.

They bounced back Thursday against Philadelphia, with rookie defenceman Carter Yakemchuk scoring the game-winning goal on a third-period power-play one-timer.

Unfortunately, injuries have been a recurring theme in the Sens' victories this season. Jake Sanderson was injured in the opener against Toronto, Linus Ullmark left the Boston game as a precaution following a collision, and Eklund went down against Philadelphia.

Ullmark returned Thursday and was excellent, stopping 28 of 29 shots in the victory.

Nashville will provide the opposition on Saturday. It's the Predators' final stop of a three-game trip through eastern Canada, and they've already collected three of a possible four points.

They opened the trip Tuesday with a 5-4 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs before bouncing back Thursday with a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

On Friday, the Predators acquired 25-year-old Canadiens defenceman Jayden Struble in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick originally belonging to Vegas.

Struble, who was a healthy scratch for Montreal on Thursday, brings a strong, physical element to Nashville's blue line. He was on the ice with the Predators at Saturday's morning skate, so he's a good bet to play against the Senators.

Here's how the Sens are projected to line up on Saturday night.

Andre Burakovsky – Tim Stützle – Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig – Dylan Cozens – Fabian Zetterlund
Michael Amadio – Shane Pinto – Claude Giroux
Warren Foegele – Stephen Halliday – Nick Cousins

Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence
Tyler Kleven – Carter Yakemchuk
Hoyt Stanley – Nikolas Matinpalo

Linus Ullmark
Samuel Ersson

Zub rotated in with Matinpalo and Stanley during Saturday's morning skate, but his return doesn't appear imminent. MacDermid also participated in a regular jersey.

But the biggest lineup development, of course, is Burakovsky's debut. For the Swedish veteran, there's no better time to start proving that a change of scenery was exactly what he needed.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa