Senators’ Jake Sanderson out for Game 4 with concussion
The Ottawa Senators will be without two of their top blueliners for what might be the final game of their season.
On Friday, head coach Travis Green revealed that defensemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub will not be in the lineup for Game 4 of the team’s Metropolitan Division Semifinal against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Jake Sanderson has a concussion and won't play in Game 4, per Travis Green. Artem Zub (undisclosed) is also unavailable. #Sens
Sanderson suffered a concussion during the third game of the series on Thursday night. Early in the second period, the 23-year-old took a high hit from Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall, leading to a skirmish between the two teams.
Hall was given a minor penalty on the play for an illegal check to the head. Green was very vocal about his displeasure with the minimal consequences for Hall’s action.
“It’s pretty obvious why [Sanderson] left the game,” Green told the media postgame. “I just don’t understand how there’s not a five-minute major called on a hit to the head. It’s a blatant hit to the head. The kind of hit you don’t want to see. It’s ridiculous there wasn’t a review.”
However, Sanderson continued to play, eventually exiting the contest just past the halfway mark of the middle stanza. The Senators went on to lose the game, 2-1, falling into a 3-0 series hole against the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Sanderson has two assists so far in the series, both coming in the double-overtime loss in Game 2 on Monday.
The Senators have been without Zub since he was hurt during the first game of the series. It has yet to be reported what exactly is ailing the Czech rearguard, but it’s been enough to force him to miss three games in a row.
With both players out, expect to see Thomas Chabot jump on the top pair with Nikolas Matinpalo, while Cameron Crotty will be inserted on the right side on the third pair.
Puck drop for Game 4 on Saturday is scheduled for a little after 3 p.m. ET.