Ottawa Senators Getting Reinforcements As They Head To Utah

The Senators left Ottawa Sunday for their first extended road trip this season. The three-game sojourn opens with the team visiting Salt Lake City in their debut visit before a rare 6 p.m. Eastern matchup in Vegas on Friday. The team then closes in Denver on Sunday for a meeting with the Colorado Avalanche.

The Ottawa Senators headed out of town on a bright note, upping their record to 3-2-0 after a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday afternoon.

The game featured a two-goal, one-assist performance from Drake Batherson. Claude Giroux added a pair of helpers, while defenseman Jake Sanderson tied a career game-high in assists and points (3).

Sanderson is having a solid start to the 2024-25 campaign and is quickly gaining notice league-wide. The Senators’ season is only five games in, but the 22-year-old ranks high among NHL defensemen in various categories; tied for second in points (7), assists (6); sits sixth in time-on-ice per game (25:49).

Not having a bonding trip during the preseason, head coach Travis Green feels now is a perfect time to get out on the road.

“We’ve been at home for a while now. We’ve had one trip to Montreal, and it was a short one. So, it’s a good time to go out on the road and start developing our road game. We’ve played well at home. We’ve got to start playing well on the road,” said Green postgame Saturday.

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Newcomer Noah Gregor, whose first goal as a member of the Ottawa Senators was a shorthanded goal that won the game against the Lightning, agreed with his coach that it’s a great time for a road trip and to get to know his fellow teammates.

“I mean, we’re going on the road for, I don’t know how long it is, we have three games. I think we’re there for quite a while. So, it’s nice to get on the road and have some bonding – some good cities to see as well. But then we’re playing some really solid teams that will be a tough challenge for us, so we’re going to be ready.”

With an abundance of offseason roster additions, including Michael Amadio, Nick Cousins, Adam Gaudette, the aforementioned Gregor, Nick Jensen, David Perron, and Linus Ullmark, the team will have an opportunity to get more familiar with each other off the ice.

There was some good news for the Senators before leaving for Utah. Goalie Mads Sogaard was loaned to Belleville, meaning Linus Ullmark is ready to return from his “strain,” which has kept him out of the lineup the past three outings.

Unfortunately for the Senators’ organization, Sogaard sustained a lower-body injury during Sunday’s “BSens” 5-2 loss to the Syracuse Crunch. The extent of the netminder’s injury is unknown at this juncture.

When asked by Full Press Hockey if forward Ridly Greig, who missed the past week’s games due to an upper-body injury, would return to playing duty at some point on the trip, Green responded, “Possibly.”

Forward Cole Reinhardt, who impressed Senators’ brass by registering four points (two goals, two assists) in five preseason games, was recalled from Belleville as insurance; the club’s 2020 sixth-round selection hasn’t missed a beat skating with the American League team, producing five points (two goals, three assists) in only three games to date.

There’s also a possibility of more good news on the Ottawa Senators horizon. The team did not recall a defenseman to travel west. They’re carrying six d-men minus Artem Zub, who suffered a concussion last Monday after receiving a thundering check from Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot.

Generally, teams carry at least one extra player at each position, especially when on an extended road trip. Not recalling a blueliner with Zub’s absence suggests a good sign that he’s about to return to action in the coming days.