Ottawa, who has moved to within two points of Montreal for tops in the Atlantic thanks to its current six-game winning streak, got some tough news on Monday as Mark Stone was ruled out “week-to-week” with a lower-body ailment.
Stone, tied for the club lead with 22 goals, last played in Thursday’s 3-2 OT win over Arizona. He sat out Saturday’s victory against Colorado and will now miss the team’s upcoming three-game homestand -- which starts tomorrow against Tampa Bay, continues Thursday against Chicago and concludes Saturday with a huge game against the aforementioned Habs.
Thankfully for Ottawa, a pair of fellow injured forwards appear close to returning.
Kyle Turris, tied with Stone on 22 goals, looks to return from a three-game absence against the Bolts tomorrow. It also sounds like Bobby Ryan is close to coming back from a finger injury that’s kept him out since Feb. 18, as GM Pierre Dorion said the club expects Ryan to resume playing this week.
The Sens will undoubtedly be a team to watch down the stretch. They have two games in hand on Montreal, and will play the Canadiens three times over a seven-day stretch in March (18th in Ottawa, 19th and 25th in Montreal).