The Senators are not only facing elimination in Game 4, but they'll be without Jake Sanderson. Taylor Hall, the best scorer in the series, won't face any discipline for the headshot that also knocked Sanderson out of most of Game 3.
There seems to be no end to the bad luck on the Ottawa Senators’ blue line this season.
Senators head coach Travis Green confirmed on Friday morning that Jake Sanderson has a concussion and will not play in Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon.
"He's not doing very well. Won't play tomorrow," Green said on Friday morning.
Sanderson was injured on a controversial hit from Carolina forward Taylor Hall during Thursday night's 2-1 loss to the Canes.
Early in the second period, as Sanderson cleared the puck to the left of Ottawa’s goal, Hall skated in and caught him with his shoulder directly on the side of the head. Sanderson tried to stay in the game but eventually left and did not return. On review, the hit came with rotational force, which is often the worst kind of concussion.
In all likelihood, had Sanderson stayed down the way Jordan Martinook did later in the game after a collision with Brady Tkachuk, it might have led to a major penalty for Hall.
Green said after the game that he’d be shocked if the league doesn’t take further action.
“I just don’t understand how there’s not a five-minute major called on the hit to the head,” Green said. “It’s a blatant hit to the head. It’s the kind of hit you don’t want to see. I think it’s ridiculous there wasn’t a review. They call a review on Brady on a penalty that… I don’t even know what the penalty was.”
Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour, on the other hand, didn’t agree, saying they got the call right.
“I’ve been an advocate for a review of penalties forever. Go back eight years ago. Get it right. So they got the call right. It’s not a five-minuter if it’s not egregious or whatever it is, but clearly a penalty, so they got the call right.”
The league agreed with Brind'Amour.
Hall will receive no supplemental discipline, so not only has he been the best scorer in the series, but he also managed to remove Ottawa's best player from the series at the cost of a two-minute minor.
Many Senators fans wanted a review of the call, but that wasn’t an option because Hall was only assessed a two-minute illegal check to the head, and minor penalties aren’t reviewable. Had the referee called a five-minute major, it would have triggered an automatic review of the play.
It was interesting later in the game that when Tkachuk grazed Martinook, the referees did call a five-minute major on that play and then reduced it to a minor after review, even though the contact from Tkachuk was like a gentle head massage compared to Hall’s hit on Sanderson.
With Sanderson out, he’ll be replaced in the lineup by either Dennis Gilbert or Lassi Thomson, both of whom were healthy scratches in the last game. Artem Zub won't play either. Although with nothing to lose now, and offence being such a problem, 2024 first-rounder Carter Yakemchuk remains an option.
For the second straight year, the Senators are down 3-0 in their first-round series and stand on the brink of elimination. Only four teams in NHL history have rallied from a 3-0 deficit. But the Senators would certainly like to avoid being swept in front of their home fans at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
Pending UFA Lassi Thomson Embraces Late-Season Opportunities In Ottawa
Senators Lose Game 3, Now On Brink Of Being Swept By Carolina
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