Søgaard's Milan tournament seemed to have ended abruptly with an injury, but Tuesday brought some good news.
When Denmark lost 6–3 to the United States in preliminary-round play on Saturday, starting goalie Mads Søgaard wasn’t around for the finish. The Danes were still in it, trailing 5–3 with nine minutes to play, but Søgaard had to leave with a lower-body injury.
He departed after making 33 saves on 38 shots and was replaced by third-stringer Frederik Dichow. With Denmark playing on back-to-back days, the plan had been to save starter Frederik Andersen for a more winnable game against Latvia the following day.
Søgaard’s injury may have prompted a groan or two from Senators fans, who continue to hope the 2019 second-round pick can re-emerge as a bona fide NHL prospect in Ottawa. To have any chance of doing that, though, he’ll need to stay healthy for an extended stretch, and Saturday's exit had a feel of, "Not again."
Søgaard is among the tallest goalies ever to play in the NHL, standing 6-foot-7. He shares that distinction with former Senator Ben Bishop, Philadelphia Flyers netminder Ivan Fedotov and former Oiler Mikko Koskinen, who are also 6-foot-7.
Do extra height and longer legs put a goalie at greater risk of lower-body injuries when dropping into the butterfly or stretching for a skate save? It seems logical that they might, but we’ll leave that for another day.
Regardless, Søgaard has spent plenty of time on the injury list. So when he finally enjoyed a decent run of health and earned a spot start in Ottawa last month, he was understandably thrilled. After an excellent performance in a surprising 7-1 win over Vegas, Sogaard spoke excitedly about being at the end of a long road back and his hope that the injuries were finally behind him.
But on Saturday, while stretching to make a save against occasional teammate Brady Tkachuk, he knew something wasn’t right. When Søgaard left the game and spoke with team trainers, he slammed his mask down in frustration.
"I kind of extended out on a shot in the second period and just felt a little something," Sogaard told TSN's Mark Masters after the game. "And then as the game went on, it got a little bit progressively worse."
He didn’t dress for Sunday’s preliminary finale, which prompted a little more concern, though he might not have been scheduled to dress in the back-to-back anyway.
When Tuesday rolled around, it brought both good and bad news.
The bad? Søgaard’s Olympic tournament ended with Denmark’s tough 3–2 loss to Czechia. So he and the Danes won't get a chance at another quarterfinal upset of Canada like the one at the Worlds last spring.
The good? He was healthy enough to serve as Andersen’s backup, which is a very encouraging sign for both Søgaard and the Sens' goaltending depth.
Now, as the pending RFA returns to the 613, the challenge is the same as it’s always been: staying healthy long enough to turn that potential into something real.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa. Read more Senators features and articles from THN Ottawa here:
Tim Stutzle And Team Germany March On To Face Slovakia in Olympic Quarterfinals
20 Years Later: The Rise And Fall Of One Of The Greatest Teams In Senators History
Former Senator Mark Stone Still Has Plenty Left... Just Ask Canada
Senators Can Further Boost Playoff Hopes By Upgrading One Position At Deadline