Brady Tkachuk out with injury for the Senators

The Ottawa Senators continue their march toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs this evening but they'll have to do so without the services of captain Brady Tkachuk.

Senators head coach Travis Green announced today that Tkachuk will be out of the lineup for tonight's game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Green added that Tkachuk got hurt after taking a hard hit from Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves during the Sens' 1-0 OT loss this past weekend. Tkachuk left the ice in the 2nd period after taking the hit but returned to the bench for the 3rd period but played sparingly in the final frame.

Here's the play in question:

No word yet on how long Tkachuk will be out of the lineup, but it's safe to assume that he's considered 'day to day' at this point. 

The Senators (84 points) are currently seven points up on the Montreal Canadiens (77 points) for the final Wild Card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They have a bit of breathing room between themselves and the likes of the New York Rangers (77 points) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (75 points) for the final playoff spot, but they can ill afford a slide in the standings right now. A healthy Tkachuk will go a long ways towards determining this team's fate in the standings.