Harpur in for Borowiecki: What does the kid brought to the Sens' last game?

Harpur in for Borowiecki: What does the kid brought to the Sens' last game?

Taking the place of an injured Mark Borowiecki, defensemen Ben Harpur made his NHL playoff debut for the Ottawa Senators in their 4-3 overtime over the the Boston Bruins last night.

Deployed mostly on the team’s third defensive pairing with Chris Wideman, Harpur also saw spot duty on the second pairing with Cody Ceci, as well. In 17:26 of ice time, Harpur was effective at shutting down the Bruins attack, limiting the Ryan Spooner, Dominic Moore and Frank Vatrano line to just one assist. 

The 22 year-old has looked poised beyond his years when called upon by the Senators this year and the team is hoping that he can develop into a permanent fixture on their blue line. Head coach Guy Boucher had nothing but praise for the young defender, saying, “He’s really developed…he was always very smart, poised player with the puck. He’s very good with his stick defensively and what he’s done over the last year is developed the aggressiveness in his game. He’s become a complete player that’s ready.”

With Borowiecki still out day-to-day and Marc Methot suffering through a hand injury, it’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that Harpur could be up with the Senators long term. If Borowiecki can’t suit up for game 4 tomorrow in Boston, look for Harpur to draw into the lineup once again.