The Ottawa Senators will begin a four-game homestand on Monday night as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. After a win over the Islanders on Sunday, Columbus is on a back-to-back with travel that was complicated by a cancelled flight on Sunday night. They were supposed to leave on Monday morning instead, but that flight was delayed as well.
As a result of their later-than-usual arrival, the NHL has switched the start time of Monday night’s game from 7 pm to 7:30 pm.
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This is an important game for both teams as they try to stay within shouting distance of the division and conference leaders. The Jackets may be in last place in the East, but they’re just 3 points behind the Senators and four out of a playoff spot.
While the Senators didn’t play on Sunday, they did get a shock to the system when starting goaltender Linus Ullmark shared that he will be taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons. The team said in a prepared statement on Sunday that Ullmark has the organization’s full support but won’t comment further on the matter. The veteran was yanked from a 7-5 loss in Toronto on Saturday night after allowing four goals on 14 shots.
So that leaves 23-year-old Levi Meriläinen to man the net for the foreseeable future.
Meriläinen posted excellent numbers in an emergency role last season, appearing in 12 games, but hasn’t yet been able to replicate that form this year. In 10 games, he has a goals-against average of 3.40 and a save percentage of .874. He entered Saturday night’s game in relief of Ullmark, whose numbers this season haven’t been a whole lot better.
Ottawa Senators: ‘Linus Ullmark Will Be Taking A Leave Of Absence From The Team’
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30-year-old Hunter Shepard has been recalled from the Belleville Senators to serve as Ottawa’s new backup. Between them, Shepard (5) and Meriläinen (24) have appeared in a grand total of 29 career NHL games.
Ottawa has also sent down Dennis Gilbert and Xavier Bourgault, who made his NHL debut on Saturday. That signalled that Shane Pinto and Tyler Kleven, who both practiced on Monday for a second straight day, may be ready to return to the lineup.
Pinto has been sidelined since December 4, while Kleven has been out since December 20. Both players were injured on similar falls near the boards.
After practice, the Sens confirmed that Kleven would be in while Nick Jensen comes out. They’re not sure yet on Pinto.
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As for the Blue Jackets, they placed star defenseman Zach Werenski on the IR yesterday, retroactive to Dec. 20. He’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury and can return whenever he’s ready. Werenski leads his team in goals, assists and points, so the Senators probably wouldn’t mind if he needs another game off.
Yesterday’s roster move allowed the Jackets to activate tough guy Mathieu Olivier off the injured list.
Projected Rosters from NHL.com (subject to change)
Senators
David Perron — Tim Stutzle — Fabian Zetterlund
Brady Tkachuk — Dylan Cozens — Drake Batherson
Michael Amadio — Ridly Greig — Claude Giroux
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Kurtis MacDermid — Stephen Halliday — Nick Cousins
Jake Sanderson — Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot — Jordan Spence
Tyler Kleven — Nikolas Matinpalo
Leevi Merilainen
Hunter Shepard
Scratched: Nick Jensen
Injured: Shane Pinto (lower body), Lars Eller (broken foot)
Blue Jackets
Mason Marchment — Adam Fantilli — Kirill Marchenko
Dimitri Voronkov — Sean Monahan — Kent Johnson
Boone Jenner — Charlie Coyle — Mathieu Olivier
Miles Wood — Brendan Gaunce — Cole Sillinger
Ivan Provorov — Dante Fabbro
Denton Mateychuk — Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen — Brendan Smith
Elvis Merzlikins
Jet Greaves
Scratched: Zach Aston-Reese, Yegor Chinakhov
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Injured: Zach Werenski (lower body), Erik Gudbranson (hip), Isac Lundestrom (lower body)
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News – Ottawa
Read more Ottawa Senators news and features at The Hockey News:
Top Ottawa Senators Prospect Suits Up Again At World Juniors
Josh Norris: ‘I Really Felt Like (Ottawa Fans) Had My Back, Even When I Was Injured’
NHL Player Fined For Cross-Checking Senators Star Tim Stutzle In The Face
Ottawa Senators Have A Soft Spot For Their Tough Guy
Senators Announce Their Latest Addition To Ring Of Honour
Steve Warne is the Ottawa Senators site editor at The Hockey News. Steve has covered the Senators since day one, first as Sports Director for Rogers Radio in Ottawa on AM 1310 and FM 105, then as the long-time host of the morning show at TSN 1200 radio, the Sens’ flagship station. Steve is also the owner and host of The Sens Nation Podcast.
