The Ottawa Senators will be without defenseman Dion Phaneuf when they take on the New York Islanders later this evening.
Phaneuf left Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals with a lower-body injury and did not return.
He was hit by Brooks Orpik in the second and didn’t return with a lower-body injury. He won’t be able to play Wednesday against the New York Islanders so the club has recalled blueliner Fred Claesson from Binghamton.
In 20 games with the Senators since a blockbuster trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Phaneuf has scored once and added seven assists.
The Senators fell flat in a 4-2 loss to the Capitals, who clinched top spot in the Eastern Conference with that victory.
Ottawa’s defeat came just hours after the team’s owner, Eugene Melnyk, put just about everyone in the organization on notice for potential change this off-season, with the Senators seven points out of a playoff spot and with eight games remaining on their schedule.