Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan is out with another hand injury but coach Guy Boucher says this ailment is different from the ones he has suffered in the past.
Ryan scored a third-period, power-play goal Thursday night to give the Senators a 1-0 lead over the Anaheim Ducks, but left the game shortly after.
It’s the fourth time this season that Ryan will miss time with a hand injury and the eighth time since joining the Senators in the 2013-14 season.
He missed eight games after breaking a finger Oct. 21, then sat out another game after re-aggravating it on Dec. 21. Ryan missed two more games in January.
"He’s seeing a specialist now and we’ll know the extent of it," said Boucher on Friday. "It’s not the same thing. It’s the same finger, but it’s not the same thing. It’s not on the bone itself, it’s more joint related and stuff so it’s a little complicated.
"So we’ll see where that takes us."
Ryan will not play in either of the Senators games this weekend against the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens and Boucher said he was highly doubtful for the upcoming week.
Through 38 games, Ryan has six goals and 19 points and his absence creates a significant void for the Senators.
"He trained so hard and the way his game had become at the end of the year last year, at the playoffs, he wanted to continue that," said Boucher. "His mind was at the right place, his work ethic, his discipline, everything was there.
"I really feel for him. I feel for our team, to be honest with you, because we need him so badly. But for him, because he put in the time and the effort and he’s been stopped because of those injuries."
Added teammate Mark Borowiecki: "I feel bad for the guy. I’m sure his head’s probably not in a great place right now so it’s going to be important for us to rally around him and make sure he’s feeling good."
Ryan’s absence will create an opportunity for Colin White, who had been expected to be re-assigned to AHL Belleville after being a healthy scratch Thursday night.
White is expected to play alongside Matt Duchene and Mike Hoffman.
"It’s definitely exciting when that happens," said White. "It’s all part of the process. You just take what’s given."
White remains scoreless through eight games, but has shown signs that he’s becoming more comfortable at the NHL level.
The Senators (16-24-9) have a pair of matinee match-ups this weekend starting with the Philadelphia Flyers (24-19-8) Saturday and the Montreal Canadiens (20-25-6) Sunday.
Ottawa is coming off a 2-1 overtime win against Anaheim that snapped a six-game losing streak.
"Teams aren’t going to come in and give us a night off," said Borowiecki. "They’re going to play us hard and try and bury us and it’s up to us to not only meet that challenge, but surpass it and set our own standard here."
Craig Anderson will get the start Saturday while Mike Condon will face the Canadiens. The Senators have decided to have split the workload between goaltenders the rest of the season.
Boucher feels that’s the best way for both to improve.
"I think it’s great because the situation we’re in right now there’s no thinking and the what if," Boucher said. "It’s clear — you’re going to be in the net. If you have a good one, great, you’re going to be in quick and if you have a not so good one you’re going to get your rebound right away."
[relatedlinks]
