There was a real sense of worry when Clarke MacArthur left Saturday’s game in Ottawa and didn’t return.
MacArthur, after all, was playing just his 12th game since making a surprise return from a concussion. Had he suffered another one?
Fortunately, the answer was no. It was an upper-body injury, but not a concussion. On Sunday, Senators coach Guy Boucher said MacArthur was “feeling much better” and may be able to play Game 3 Tuesday in New York.
This morning, MacArthur was back skating with the Sens, who lead the Rangers, 2-0, in their second-round series.
If MacArthur still isn’t ready to go by tomorrow, expect to see Tom Pyatt make his return. Pyatt has been cleared to play after getting hurt in the first round.
“(Tommy) Wingels has been in the lineup and we’ve won three in a row with the same lineup,” Boucher said, per the Ottawa Citizen. “We might still go with the same lineup depending on Clarke. If we need to change something, (Pyatt) is ready and, of course, (Pyatt) has been an important part of our team.
“He brings speed and he was actually one of our better players against the Rangers during the season. He’s a great penalty killer, he’s really fast and he plays great with (Jean-Gabriel) Pageau and (Mike) Hoffman, so that’s a possibility. We’ll see. We just want to see what’s going on exactly with all the guys.”
Update:
MacArthur says he's good to go for tomorrow vs Rangers. Pinched a nerve in left shoulder in Game 2
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) May 1, 2017