Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson is already injured in the middle of the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
Going into tonight's game between the Senators and the Maple Leafs, there were concerns on the Senators' side that Jake Sanderson would not make it into the lineup.
However, it was announced early in the day that Sanderson would be in the lineup, which was actually some bad news for the Maple Leafs.
Unfortunately for the Senators, things have taken a sudden turn. It was just announced by Bruce Garrioch of TSN that Sanderson is not on the bench to start the second period.
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It has subsequently been confirmed by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that Sanderson is not going to be returning to the game tonight.
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At this time, it is unknown whether or not the injury is related to the one Sanderson was dealing with prior to this game. Regardless, this is a huge blow for the Senators.
In the aftermath of this injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs have scored two goals in a row, which has allowed them to take a 2-1 lead in the game.
The goals were scored by Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko, which bodes well for the team's first line, which struggled in the first two games.
What now for the Senators?
The Ottawa Senators must now fill out the 25 minutes that Sanderson usually plays every night, and as we have seen in the second period so far, that is not going to be easy.
Sanderson is a player who anchors the Senators' defense, and he is someone the Leafs have to game plan for whenever they play each other.
Only time will tell whether or not the Senators are going to be able to overcome this blow to their lineup at some point in the game.
Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs will win tonight?
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