Ottawa Senators veteran forward Tyler Ennis will see his season cut short.
On Sunday, Senators head coach DJ Smith confirmed that Ennis is now expected to miss the remainder of the regular season after he suffered an injury during Sunday's game between the Senators and the Detroit Red Wings. We still don't know exactly what kind of injury Ennis suffered here, but based on his body language in today's game it seems like either his shoulder or his ribs are the most likely candidates.
Ennis suffered the injury while attempting to make a play on the puck behind the Red Wings' net. As Ennis played the puck along the boards he was met by Red Wings defenseman Gustav Lindstrom, who promptly cross checked him right in the ribs. The force of that blow sent Ennis into the boards, causing him to fall at an awkward angle along the way. As a result it appeared to be Ennis' head and shoulder that absorbed the majority of the impact from the boards.
It was immediately apparent that Ennis was injured as he was slow to get up, and given how quickly Smith was ready to rule him out for the remainder of the season he must have been pretty banged up. If you didn't see the cross check that led to the injury, check out the replay below.
This update on Ennis' health could mean trouble for Lindstrom as well. In spite of the fact that there likely should have been a penalty on the play there was none called, and with Ennis now out for the remainder of the season this could suddenly become an incident that the league's Department of Player Safety will take under review. The fact that there was no call made on the play initially also increases the chances that the league may wish to give the incident another look.
Thus far there has been no announcement from NHL Player Safety in regards to any review of this incident or any potential discipline on the horizon for Lindstrom.
