Pinto has missed the last seven games due to injury and the Sens have gone 2-5 in his absence.
The Ottawa Senators are slowly returning to full strength.
Defenceman Artem Zub was back in the lineup on Thursday night after missing nine games due to a concussion. There is no timeline yet for David Perron's return, but he is skating with the team while dealing with personal issues.
Now, center Shane Pinto may rejoin the Sens' lineup for Saturday night's matchup against the Bruins. Pinto was a full participant at Friday's practice, taking Josh Norris's spot. Norris moved up to replace Tim Stützle between Brady Tkachuk and Ridly Greig.
Stützle was given a maintenance day after taking a puck to the face on Thursday. He finished the game and will play on Saturday.
Sens head coach Travis Green would only commit to saying there’s "a chance" that Pinto will play. If he does, he’d likely jump into his usual spot, and Zack Ostapchuk would likely come out. Michael Amadio would welcome that. Amadio has just two points in 13 games but looked a lot more dangerous when playing with Pinto.
Pinto has missed seven games due to injury, last suiting up for the Sens’ game in Utah. Their win-loss record when he plays is startlingly good. They were 4-2 before he got hurt and 2-5 since. Career-wise, since Pinto became a full-time player, the Sens are 76-58-12 when he plays, and 46-65-8 when he doesn't. And in games where he gets a point, they’re 42-10-6.
Pinto scored at a 54-point pace last season, and his two-way talent speaks for itself.
But he also adds a level of center ice depth the Sens have rarely enjoyed. Since Tim Stützle made the full-time move to center, he, Pinto, and Josh Norris have rarely been in the lineup at the same time. When they are, opponents can try to shut down one, maybe two, but three is pretty tough.
And we haven’t even mentioned fourth-line center Adam Gaudette, who has six goals. By the way, hands up if you had Gaudette playing 16 minutes of ice time in the last two games and leading all Sens centers in goals per game.
If you buy into intangibles, Pinto is also a well-liked teammate, easy with a laugh, and a positive influence in the dressing room.
No one reading this needs to be sold on Shane Pinto’s worth, but he is one of this team’s most valuable players. And with a Sens lineup that desperately wants to avoid another autumn swoon, his return—whether it's tonight in Boston or Tuesday in Toronto—couldn’t be better timed.