Senators’ Artem Zub Expected to Return Thursday Versus Kings
Help is on the way for an injury-riddled Ottawa Senators blueline, which hopes to have Artem Zub back in the lineup for Thursday’s contest against the Los Angeles Kings.
The 28-year-old defenseman, sidelined with a jaw injury since Oct. 18th, practiced with his teammates on Monday for the first time in almost two weeks. As a result, he’s trending toward playing in his club’s next game later this week, according to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.
Garrioch also reported Zub skated next to Jake Sanderson on Ottawa’s top defensive pairing in line rushes, suggesting the duo will remain intact ahead of Thursday’s affair. And that’s certainly a massive boost, considering the club has gone 1-3 in his absence.
Zub opened the season on a positive note, scoring a goal to go along with three points over four games, averaging 17:57 of ice time per night. He also supplied nine blocks and a team-high eight hits during that span. But a fluke injury versus the Washington Capitals has kept him out ever since.
While defending a Capitals’ power play, the right-handed blueliner was on the wrong end of a quick shot from captain Alexander Ovechkin, which struck him in the face and ended his night after just 14:11 of ice time.
Having Zub suit up on Thursday would not only mark the return of Ottawa’s top shutdown defender, but would also fill a pressing need on the back end, with Erik Brännström and Thomas Chabot both out of action and expected to miss significant time.
It’s also worth noting that Jakob Chychrun didn’t attend Monday’s skill session, although it’s believed he opted for a maintenance day and didn’t sit out due to injury. Rookie Tyler Kleven skated in his place next to Travis Hamonic during practice.
Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo each have needed to emerge from AHL Belleville to help fill the vacancies left by Brännström and Chabot, which has seen the young pair occupying Ottawa’s third defensive unit.
But amidst Zub’s impending return, one of those two will likely draw out of the lineup. At this point that would appear to be Kleven based on Monday’s line pairings – for Thursday’s contest, allowing Jacob Bernard-Docker to remain active.
Despite winning three of their first four, the Senators’ recent slide has them stuck at eight points across eight games, tied for the second-fewest in the East. Things won’t get any easier with their next four contests against the Kings, Lightning, Maple Leafs and the surprisingly-good Canucks.
That’ll add even more importance to Zub’s return, especially considering the organization’s desire to avoid another prolonged skid early on, as slow starts have plagued them over the last few campaigns.
The 6-foot-2 defender will hope to enjoy similar results to his first three NHL seasons, where he provided quality defensive production and posted 12 goals and 46 points while logging 20:07 minutes per night across 181 games. He also led all Senators defensemen with 375 hits.
With that impressive performance, Zub received a well-deserved contract extension last December, agreeing to a four-year, $18.4-million deal that runs through 2026-27.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85