The struggling Ottawa Senators are looking to return to the win column without captain Brady Tkachuk when they visit the winless Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
Tkachuk is likely to be sidelined one month after suffering an injured right hand in Monday’s 4-1 home-opener loss to the Nashville Predators.
“He’s going to miss a significant amount of time,” coach Travis Green said on Tuesday. “We’ll know more in the next 24 hours. We don’t know exactly, but it’s four weeks-plus.”
Tkachuk was injured in the first period when he was on the receiving end of a cross-check from Predators captain Roman Josi. He left the game midway through the third period.
Green said doctors will determine whether surgery is required.
Regardless of the time frame, it is a big blow to the Senators, who carried high hopes into this season after reaching the playoffs last year for the first time since 2017.
“You never want to lose a player of his stature, but that’s part of the game,” Green said. “We’re not going to sit and dwell on it. Like anyone else who gets hurt, you move on and you move on quickly.”
Ottawa, which has lost two straight games, received some good news in its preparations. Forward Drake Batherson is expected to return after missing the first three games of the season due to an upper-body injury sustained in training camp.
“It’s tough to evaluate when you’re not there in the grind with the guys, but I think the guys are playing good and I’m excited to get back and help them out and try and win some games,” Batherson said.
The Sabres are seeking their first victory amid a frustrating start to the season.
A 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday marked their third straight defeat. Buffalo has been outscored 10-2 in its games.
Already, the alarm bells are ringing. Coach Lindy Ruff on Tuesday singled out young forward Jiri Kulich, who scored 15 goals as a rookie, as being among those who have not played up to snuff.
“It hasn’t been good enough. … He needs to be a better player for us,” Ruff said of the center who has been held without a point in three outings.
The Sabres have plenty of injury issues of their own, with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, defensemen Michael Kesselring and Mattias Samuelsson and forwards Josh Norris and Jordan Greenway all expected to miss Wednesday’s clash.
The good news is that forward Zach Benson seems ready to make his season debut after a scary incident on the eve of the season opener. Benson was struck in the face by a puck during practice on Oct. 8 and spent a couple of nights in the hospital.
Benson, who will need a face shield when he resumes playing, initially thought he only needed stitches, but the swelling that resulted required more attention.
The extra time away has him raring to play.
“I’m pretty fired up to get going,” said Benson, who was donning a bandage on his left cheek. “The energy around the room, I think we’re all excited to get going, fired up to get off this losing skid and get some good vibes going around.”
