Senators’ Nikolas Matinpalo Injury Update Brings News After Dirty Hit

Ottawa Senators defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo suffered an upper-body injury after being hit from behind into the boards by New Jersey Devils forward Anthony Mantha on Monday night. Matinpalo exited in the first period of Ottawa's 4-1 victory, while Mantha received a five-minute major penalty for the hit. Senators head coach Travis Green indicated following the game that the issue appeared to be a head injury.

The injury compounds ongoing defensive depth issues for the Senators, who are already missing defensemen Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson. Ottawa faces a quick turnaround against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, with Jorian Donovan potentially set to make his season debut if Zub is unable to return.