Drake Batherson will miss months after hit from Aaron Dell
Senators head coach D.J. Smith said Drake Batherson suffered a high-ankle sprain and will be out for a couple of months.
Pre-game updates from #Sens head coach D.J. Smith ahead of tonight's contest against Carolina. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/z1s6p926Yx
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 27, 2022
Batherson suffered the injury after being hit by Sabres' goaltender Aaron Dell on Tuesday. Dell was given a three-game suspension for the hit. The injury will keep Batherson out of the NHL All-star game. His teammate Brady Tkachuk will go in his place.
Smith said of Dell's suspension, "It doesn't matter to me what they do to the other team's player...our leading point-getter is out for two months or longer...He's their third goalie or fourth goalie, so when their guys come back he's probably not even going to play. At the end of the day, I'm losing my guy."
Batherson leads Ottawa in points with 13 goals and 21 assists over 31 games. He plays the second-most minutes on the team at 18:58 a night among forwards.
This news adds to an already difficult season for the Sens. They're second last in the Eastern Conference with a 13-20-3 record.
Over at FanDuel Sportsbook, Ottawa is +210 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the puck line against the Hurricanes tonight.
The Senators are currently on a two-game win streak but have lost three of their past five games.
