The Buffalo Sabres, currently in last place in the Eastern Conference, are set to extend their NHL record playoff drought to 14 seasons. So when they face the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the Senators would prefer the Sabres didn’t skewer them for a fourth straight loss.
Buffalo has won all three games so far by a combined score of 12-3, and as they try to avoid a season sweep, the Senators won't have their captain on board.
With Ottawa now holding a comfortable seven-point lead in the Wild Card race, Tkachuk’s absence isn’t unexpected. It's a fine strategy to rest key players like Tkachuk, who've been dealing with lingering injuries.
However, Senators head coach Travis Green told the media on Tuesday morning that Tkachuk’s injury is something new. It’s an upper-body issue, completely unrelated to the nagging injury he’s been playing through over the past few weeks.
Tkachuk's new injury happened in Pittsburgh on Sunday when he skated into Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves in the neutral zone. Simply put, while changing direction, Tkachuk wasn’t looking where he was going. After going down in pain, he skated off the ice and into the dressing room, but returned to play in the third period, likely fueled only by adrenaline.
Unfortunately, things obviously worsened after the game, and he won’t be available for Tuesday’s contest against the Sabres.
“Yeah, it’s not what you want, that’s for sure,” Green told the media. “But that’s part of the NHL. You’re going to lose guys, and hopefully he’s only out for a game.”
Last month, Tkachuk was emotional when the Senators traded his close friend, Josh Norris, to the Sabres. This game might’ve been their reunion, but with both players sidelined by injuries, that’s on hold until next season. Norris will miss his 10th consecutive game on Tuesday and didn’t travel to Ottawa. Neither did Tkachuk’s former Boston University teammate, Jordan Greenway, who's also injured.
Tkachuk’s spot on the roster will be filled by Angus Crookshank, who’s been shuffled between Belleville and Ottawa in recent games. Crookshank, a UFA this summer, gets a good opportunity, and Green says he's excited to see him in action.
“I thought last time up, he played some good hockey for us,” Green said. “He’s a feisty player, he's got good hands, and is strong on his skates. Excited for him to get into the lineup.”
Crookshank will skate on the fourth line, taking the spot of Michael Amadio, who’s been playing phenomenal two-way hockey of late. Amadio moves up to the third line while Claude Giroux takes Tkachuk's spot on Tim Stützle’s left side.
Aside from Tkachuk’s absence, which is concerning, and Linus Ullmark starting in net, Green’s lineup will remain the same as it was in the 1-0 OT loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. James Reimer is expected to start again for Buffalo.
Senators Projected Lineup:
Claude Giroux - Tim Stützle - Fabian Zetterlund
David Perron - Dylan Cozens - Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig - Shane Pinto - Michael Amadio
Matthew Highmore - Adam Gaudette - Angus Crookshank
Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot - Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven - Nikolas Matinpalo
Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic
Injured: Nick Cousins (knee), Brady Tkachuk (upper body)
Sabres Projected Lineup:
Zach Benson - Jiri Kulich - Tage Thompson
JJ Peterka - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Jason Zucker - Peyton Krebs - Alex Tuch
Beck Malenstyn - Tyson Kozak - Sam Lafferty
Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power - Jacob Bernard-Docker
Bowen Byram - Connor Clifton
James Reimer
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Scratched: Jacob Bryson, Isak Rosen
Injured: Jordan Greenway (lower body), Josh Norris (middle body)
Faceoff is at 7pm (TSN5 and RDS2) at Canadian Tire Centre.