Ottawa Senators’ Derick Brassard and Travis Hamonic leave game vs. Flyers with upper-body injuries
Derick Brassard and Travis Hamonic will both not be returning to Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
After sustaining a lower-body injury in the first period, #Sens defenceman Travis Hamonic will not return to tonight’s game vs @NHLFlyers.
— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) March 31, 2023Hamonic left the game midway through the first period with a lower-body injury after helping set up a goal from Auston Watson. Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler laid out Hamonic along the boards as he was making the pass, with Seeler’s knee doing most of the damage.
Hamonic has had one of his more productive seasons in recent years, with 6 goals, 15 assists, and 21 points in 74 games this season. It’s the first time since 2015-16 when he was with the New York Islanders where he’s eclipsed the 20 point mark, while he’s one goal away from tying his career-high of seven goals set in 2018-19.
After sustaining a lower-body injury in the second period, #Sens forward Derick Brassard will not return to tonight’s game vs @NHLFlyers.
— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) March 31, 2023Brassard also got injured on a play that resulted in the Sens scoring, as late in the second period, Flyers goalie Felix Sandstrom accidentally knocked Brassard over while he was making a save. Brassard fell awkwardly on the ice, resulting in his lower-body injury.
Brassard is producing at his usual rate, with 13 goals, 10 assists, and 23 points in 61 games on the year. It’s the most points he’s got in a season since 2019-20, and most goals he’s scored in a season since 2018-19.
Julien Gauthier was the only healthy scratch up front for the Sens tonight, so they will need an additional call-up before Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gauthier has 8 goals, 5 assists, and 13 points in 54 games this season, including two goals, two assists, and four points in 14 games since being dealt to the Senators for Tyler Motte.
It likely won’t be a huge deal for the Sens at this point of the season to be without both players, as they are more or less out of the playoffs with a 36-33-5 record that puts them seven points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference before Thursday’s game.
However, it could be the last games for both Hamonic and Brassard as Sens, as if both players are out for the final games of the season, they would need to re-sign with the Sens to return since both players are on expiring deals.