The old catchphrase, "Rest is a weapon," has been replaced in Ottawa with scheduled "Maintenance Days."
The big news of the day from Monday's Senators practice was the absence of both Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk. However, according to head coach DJ Smith, it was a “maintenance day” and both Chabot and Tkachuk will play tomorrow against the New York Rangers.
For context, Chabot fell into the boards hard against the Seattle Kraken Saturday night. He went to the bench in pain but later returned. Tkachuk has been seen around the arena with ice on his left elbow, yet it's unclear what he's dealing with.
The Senators also had a scare when Tim Stutzle, who's been playing with a brace on his left hand, fell on his wrist at practice Monday. Stutzle left the ice in visible, audible pain but wasn't gone long. Smith told reporters after practice that Stutzle was fine and expected to play Tuesday.
All signs point to Ridley Greig returning to the lineup as the New York Rangers visit the CTC on Tuesday night.
“We're hopeful that he can go,” Smith said. “I’ll wait for the official go-ahead; we’re thinking he’ll play.”
Anton Forsberg was in the starter's end at practice, coming off a 39-save shutout performance on Saturday night. Smith was asked by The Hockey News Ottawa about how he will approach his starting goalie decisions during a busy December.
“I'll talk to (Zac Bierk goalie coach) Burky and everybody and see about that decision," Smith said. “But one thing I know, there's a lot of games coming up and we need them both.”
Smith may also dress 11 forwards and 7 defencemen on Tuesday night.
"It's all gonna come down to who's healthy," Smith said. "I think it gives an opportunity for some of the guys to play a few more minutes and have different line combinations."
With 37 points in 23 games, the Rangers are in first place overall right now and have already lapped the Senators, who have 18 points in 19 games. The two clubs meet on Tuesday night at 7pm (TSN5).