Ullmark, Greig, and Amadio help lead the Senators to a fourth straight win while Tkachuk's injury casts a shadow over the playoff push.
Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for his 15th career shutout as the Ottawa Senators defeated the New York Islanders 3-0 at UBS Arena on Saturday afternoon. Ridly Greig and Michael Amadio led the way offensively, each putting up a goal and an assist for the Senators. Despite managing only 16 shots in the game, the Sens are now one point away from punching their ticket to the playoffs.
While leading 1-0 in the third period, the Senators capitalized on some good fortune when the Islanders took back-to-back tripping penalties. Jake Sanderson provided some breathing room, whacking home a rebound on the ensuing 5 on 3 to give the Sens a 2-0 advantage.
But the news wasn't all good.
Sens captain Brady Tkachuk left the game under mysterious circumstances. While standing in the neutral zone near the Islanders' bench, without seeming to take any contact at all, he appeared woozy as he left the ice surface.
Sens head coach Travis Green didn't have any update on what happened to Tkachuk and could only report that he didn't feel good.
So that leaves us to speculate.
For the second straight meeting, Tkachuk had squared off with Anders Lee at the opening faceoff, leading to speculation that maybe Tkachuk had been playing while concussed after the fight.
Some have suggested that Pulock struck him on the neck with his stick, which, after multiple views, I'm not seeing at all.
Cervical vertigo might also be a possibility. It can be triggered suddenly by certain neck movements, and you can see Tkachuk do a hard shoulder check, turning his head to his left. He then flinched when he was immediately surprised by Ryan Pulock jumping off the Islanders' bench to his right.
That's when Tkachuk retreated to the bench, suddenly going from looking sharp to wobbly.
Whatever happened here, the Sens hope to wrap up a playoff spot quickly and give Tkachuk and the rest of their banged-up crew some time off if they need it.
The club has now won four in a row, moving past Boston and into the first Wild Card playoff spot in the East. The two teams have the same record after the Bruins lost in regulation on Saturday, but the Sens are now ahead because they have more regulation wins.
The Detroit Red Wings are now the only team behind the Senators in the standings that can still catch them, but a lot would have to go right. The Wings would have to win their next three games, starting today against New Jersey, while the Senators would have to lose their last two.
Ottawa visits those same Devils on Sunday.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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