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Ottawa Senators Team News: Boedker, Wolanin, Borowiecki & Pageau
It hasn’t been an easy road to victory for the Ottawa Senators recently. However, there’s some joyful news emerging from the team. What’s happening?
After a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on January 28, the Ottawa Senators have had a rough ride. The team has lost five games in succession and has pulled out only two points from those games. After a better-than-expected start to the season, the team is leveling off towards where hockey experts expected them to be prior to the season.
This is a rebuilding season for the Senators; and, although the team has had some pleasant surprises, there hasn’t been much joy in Mudville (a tip of the hat to the poem “Casey at the Bat”) recently.
In this post, I hope to bring die-hard Senators’ fans up-to-date on some of the news emerging from the team.
Related: Ottawa Senators Tyler Ennis: Best Goal-Scoring Bang for the Buck in the NHL
Item One: Mikkel Boedker Will Play His 700th Career Game on Tuesday
It’s also been a tough season for veteran Mikkel Boedker. Boedker scored his first goal of the season in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Winnipeg. Still, there’s cause for celebration because, if all goes as planned, he’ll suit up for his 700th career game on Tuesday night at Colorado as the Senators complete a tough road trip.
Playing in 700 games is a great milestone and not many NHL players last that long. But, for Boedker, it’s taken longer to reach than he had planned. He’s been a healthy scratch far too often for his liking this season.
In fact, Boedker has only played in 10 games, scoring a goal and three points. But, game 700 is on its way. On the Ottawa Sun’s Facebook page, Boedker was quoted as saying, “It’s pretty cool. It took a lot longer than I thought this season to get there, but it’s one of those things … it’s pretty cool to get to 700 games. It’s a milestone that’s not easy to get to.”
Related: What Should the Ottawa Senators Do with Mark Borowiecki?
Item Two: Christian Wolanin Has Been Moved to the AHL
Christian Wolanin, who was injured prior to training camp and who’s been recovering from surgery to his torn labrum (the labrum is a cup-shaped rim of cartilage that lines and reinforces the ball and socket joint of the shoulder), was assigned to Belleville of the AHL. That’s good news for him because it means he’s finally recovered from his shoulder injury.
Last season, Wolanin had four goals and 12 points in 30 games with the Senators. He began the year on the non-roster, injured reserve list, so going to the minors indicates he’s ready to play. The plan is to have him spend time with AHL Belleville getting back up to speed. When that happens, he’ll likely be on a list of recalls to the big club.
Item Three: Mark Borowiecki’s Celebrating the Birth of His First Child
Head coach D.J. Smith reported on Friday he expected Mark Borowiecki to take personal leave to stay home with his family. As Smith told reporters, “It’s good for him to be around his wife. It’s a great time for him and his family. He would love to keep playing, but his family needs him.”
Item Four: Jean-Gabriel Pageau Keeps Scoring
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a goal in the team’s 5-2 loss to Winnipeg. He now has 21 goals and 34 points in 53 games on the season. There’s no word on his status with the team or the team’s plans for Pageau prior to the trade deadline. Betting money is that he’s traded for prospects. We will see.
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