The Ottawa Senators look like they’ll be shorthanded against the Montreal Canadiens in Wednesday’s upcoming game. Jason Spezza (back) is set to miss his second game in a row and now the team announced that Sergei Gonchar will be sidelined with a lower-body injury.
It’s unclear how serious the issue is and the team didn’t elaborate about how he got banged up.
The Russian blueliner might have lost a step or two at 38, yet he’s still an important piece of the puzzle in Ottawa. Only Erik Karlsson’s 26:49 minutes per game tops Sergei Gonchar’s 23:34 time on ice (although Marc Methot is close behind at 23:38).
Gonchar has a goal and three assists for four points in six games so far this season.
With Spezza, 29, and Gonchar on the sidelines, Ottawa likely hopes to get a boost from Mika Zibanejad. The 19-year-old forward collected an assist in his season debut on Tuesday.