Ottawa Senators Well-Rested, Ready to Return to Game Mode

The Ottawa Senators got re-acquainted with each other, at least on the ice, reconvening for the first time in nine days for a 6 p.m. practice Thursday.

With invited season ticket holders in the stands, the team proceeded to have an up-tempo skate in advance of their 12:30 p.m. meeting with the high-flying Edmonton Oilers Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The Ottawa Senators look to build momentum off their four-game win streak which has them sitting one game above the .500 mark at 24-23-3. However, they’ll need to continue this run if they are to make any ground in the chase for a postseason berth. Currently, the club sits eight points out the final wildcard position held by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Any momentum according to head coach D.J. Smith was likely lost during the Senators’ extended All-Star break, “It’s hard to do because the mentality when you’re winning carries from game to game. It’s been so long, so you want to remind the guys what that winning feeling is like, but’s it been awhile. You got to do what you’ve got to do, it’s go out and win a game in that first one game back.”

But for a player such as a defenseman Thomas Chabot who ranks fourth league-wide in time-on-ice (25:47) per game, the break was a welcome one, “I mean, obviously we play a game for a living, but at the end of the day, it’s a lot of games in a short period of time.  Everybody’s got little injuries. Everybody’s got a little something going on., so to have some time and just lay low and make sure that you fix some of those. It’s always fun and a great week for sure.”

The Senators’ head coach also welcomed the break, spending the bulk of his time at his offseason residence in Windsor. Smith attended three OHL Spitfire games doing some scouting, but most of all watching his son, Colton, a forward on the junior club.

Smith said his young children were able to see their grandparents which is a rarity during the hockey season.

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Tim Stützle Goes Up Against Fellow Countryman

Tim Stützle who vacationed in the Turks and Caicos first made a pit stop in South Florida where he bumped into the Oilers Leon Draisaitl. Staying at the same hotel, the pair had an opportunity to meet for dinner.

Hailing from Germany, Draisaitl is a player, Stützle looks up to. “Yeah, for sure. I mean, he’s a German guy. So I think every young guy looks up to him. But in the end, I try to be my own player. I think we played different style of games. So I think, yeah, I’m really still really far away from him. He’s a great player. And it’s a lot of fun watching him,” said the 21-year-old Thursday evening.

#Sens return to practice. @FullPressNHL pic.twitter.com/rO4X8fBfQP

— Murray Pam (@Pammerhockey) February 9, 2023

The Latest on Artem Zub and Cam Talbot

There’s some good news on the horizon for the Ottawa Senators. D-man Artem Zub who’s missed the past eight games with a lower-body injury likely returns to the lineup Saturday.

Smith noted, “It’s all about reps for him. I think first before I put him there today, we want to make sure he’s available to play. You just don’t give him a guy’s spot and then all of a sudden he can’t play. Once we find out where he can play, we’ll see where we can slot him. We’re definitely open to anything that’ll help us with games at this point. It all depends, with Edmonton a lot of times we’ll go 11 (forwards) and seven (defenseman). They’re stacking one line. We want Zub – depending on how many reps he has against them as much as possible – things like that. So we’ll watch and see how he does tonight and we’ll make a better decision tomorrow (Friday).”

Goalie Cam Talbot who sustained what’s believed to be a groin injury per TSN insider Darren Dreger, on January 25th versus the New York Islanders, may also return sometime next week.

“He won’t be available to us next game. We’ll see how it goes from there. He’s in shape. He knows his body. He works extremely hard. And he’ll be ready when does get that chance. He’s going to need some practice. He’s been off for a long time now,” stated Smith post-practice.

As expected, forward Ridly Greig and netminder Mads Sogaard were recalled from Belleville, the team’s American League affiliate.

Mark Kastelic Back To Belleville

One player who will not return is centre Mark Kastelic.

Kastelic was re-assigned to Belleville last week prior to joining the BSens squad in Cleveland yesterday.

Mark Kastelic has joined the @BellevilleSens in Cleveland ahead of this weekend’s double header with the Monsters. #ForTheB pic.twitter.com/zmHTmFsPnK

— David Foot (@FootyOnTheAir) February 9, 2023

Kastelic has missed the past four Ottawa Senators games with what’s been termed a “nagging injury” and was sent to Belleville to gain more playing time and work on his game.

The Senators’ head coach provided his reasoning to Full Press Hockey, “It’s to continue to touch the puck, get some reps in, get some ice time. When you look at his ice time, it hasn’t been much past 10 minutes for this stretch. And faceoffs have dipped a bit, but that’s injury-related. There were nights when he was coming out here winning 75% of his draws. And that injury was nagging. It gives ability to take a step back, touch the puck, play more minutes. The organization thinks the world of the kid. He’s the hardest worker we’ve seen in a long time. The players love him. It’s hard part of the business when you see a guy go down when you want him to be here. The guys want him to be here, but ultimately, Drake Batherson, all these guys go up and down, then eventually they’re here for good. It’s his last opportunity in my opinion to really play those minutes down there, see the change of pace. Clearly going forward, he’s going to be a big part of this team.”