Senators Face Injury Questions Surrounding Ridly Greig and Linus Ullmark

The Ottawa Senators are finally back on home ice after a lengthy five-game road trip, but head coach Travis Green still has some injury questions to sort out ahead of Saturday night's matchup with the visiting Utah Mammoth.

The biggest concerns involve forward Ridly Greig and starting goaltender Linus Ullmark.

Greig is expected to miss Saturday's game, while Ullmark could be getting closer to making his long-awaited return.

Green told reporters Friday that Greig is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old missed Wednesday's 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres after being a late scratch and was absent again from Friday's practice.

It’s not clear when Greig was hurt but he did have a big collision with Ducks goalie Laurent Brossoit on Sunday. He then had Tim Washe, all 6-foot-3, 215 pounds of him, jump on him while he was lying on the ice to let Greig know he didn’t much care for that.

Greig has two goals and two assists in 14 games this season. While his offensive production has been modest, his value to the Senators goes well beyond the scoresheet.

The ornery forward is an important part of the club's penalty-killing unit but also has the skill to play anywhere in the lineup.

With William Eklund, Warren Foegele, and Andre Burakovsky already out with injuries, another absence at forward is hardly what the Senators need right now. 

The news on Ullmark is encouraging.

The Senators' number-one goaltender has been out since suffering a lower-body injury during “Trash Brady Night,” a 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on October 21.

Prior to the injury, Ullmark was playing out of his mind to start the season, posting a 7-1-0 record, a 1.33 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage.

Wearing his new Hometown Remix gear, Ullmark was all-in at practice but said he's just taking it "day by day."

He and Green both indicated Friday that Ullmark will be reevaluated, but neither man closed the door on a return against Utah Saturday.

The Senators have certainly missed him.

Samuel Ersson and Jonas Johansson have tried to hold down the fort during Ullmark's absence, with mixed results.

But at least Ersson is showing signs of a turnaround in his last two outings, including Wednesday's victory in Buffalo, when he turned aside 24 shots. That's a crucial development because the Sens won't make the playoffs unless their number two settles in at least as an average goaltender.

Defenceman Tyler Kleven, who missed Wednesday's game in Buffalo because of an illness, returned to practice Friday and appears to be on track to play Saturday. Carter Yakemchuk took his spot in the lineup on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if Yakemchuk returns to being a healthy scratch for the fourth time in five games.

The Senators return home with a 10-6-1 record, matching the mark of the Mammoth, who have been one of the more dangerous offensive teams in the early going.

Saturday's game at Canadian Tire Centre begins at 7 p.m.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa