You never know what to expect in the game of hockey, and Thursday night the Ottawa Senators Marc Methot learned that the hard way. With just under five and a half minutes left in the first period, the veteran defenseman was carrying the puck into the zone, when he received a two-handed slash from the Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby. The play was blown dead, called as off-side, and Methot gave Crosby a few choice words before heading straight to the locker room.
Marc Methot “Out for Weeks” After Gruesome Slash
What Crosby did happens a lot in hockey. He was trying to hit Methot’s stick hard enough to knock the puck loose. What made the play different than the normal two-handed wack, was that Crosby hit Methot’s fingers with the slash. The swing was hard enough that it “shattered” Methot’s finger, as coach Guy Boucher put it. As he was headed off the ice, Methot pulled off his glove to examine his injured hand. His left pinky finger was bloodied and clearly broken. The team’s Twitter Account said that Methot had a laceration on said finger.
He obviously left the game, but Ottawa went on to win in the shootout. Afterwards, Boucher said Methot would be out for weeks. He even emphasized it by saying that,”his finger is destroyed.”
The picture of the injury might be unsettling for some people.
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Methot’s Season
Methot has averaged just under 20 minutes on the ice each game this year. These are second line minutes. He’s played alongside the team’s star, Erik Karlsson most of the season. In 68 games this season, Methot has totaled 12 points, all being assists. This is not very high compared to Karlsson and Phaneuf, who both have over 30 points this year, but Methot has still been important to the team.
In Methot’s place will most likely be 24-year old Freddrik Claesson. Claesson has played in 24 games this season and has nine points. Still he’s remained a healthy scratch on most nights. Now that Methot is most-likely done for the regular season, Claesson has a chance to prove he can produce as consistently as he has been. Dion Phaneuf, who has the second most points out of the team’s defense, will probably be paired with Karlsson now. This leaves Claesson room to play alongside Cody Ceci.
If Claesson can produce as well as he has been, the change shouldn’t be too dramatic for the Senators. That’s what the team hopes for at least, as they’ll finish up the season in a playoff spot. The Senators continue to battle the Montreal Canadiens for first in the division, with an important game between the two teams set for tomorrow night.
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