News for Ottawa Senators fans to think when it rains, it pours, as Centre Joshua Norris is out tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. The word for Josh Norris is it is with an upper-body injury. The report suggests there will be a further evaluation done tomorrow back home in Ottawa. Anytime we hear UBI for Norris, we immediately cringe, given his prior history of injuries. For now, let’s hope it is more precautionary, and the evaluations done tomorrow do not find anything further.
Projected lines for our battle in Buffalo! 💪#GoSensGo | @UpperDeckSports pic.twitter.com/PLyuUcU5Rw
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 11, 2024
Ottawa Senators Centre Josh Norris Will Miss Game With Upper-Body Injury
Josh Norris joined the Ottawa Senators in their fourth game of the year in 2023-24. He wanted to wait until he was fully comfortable with suiting up in a live NHL game. Last year, his shoulder injury held him to just eight games.
Statistically, we have yet to see Norris regain his form prior to the 2022-23 season. Back in 2021-22, Norris was the main trigger guy on the power play. In just 66 games, he tallied 35 goals, 16 of which came via the man advantage. Fast forward to this year, and Norris is still scoring, but not at the same rate. Moreover, he has 12 goals, through 33 games. Five of the 12 goals have come on the power play. He is still shooting a fair bit, but again, not quite the clip on 21-22. That year he had 68 power play shots on goals (SOG), which is just over one a game. This year’s pace is slightly under one a game, with 27 through 33.
What Is Really Going On in Sens Land
It just seems the news is never good for the Ottawa Senators. For example, look no further than the standings, where with a 14-22 record, the Senators are dead last in the Atlantic Division. Since the new owner has taken over, they have had a string of bad occurrences seemingly. From Dorion to Pinto, and now to the losing when this team was supposed to fight for a Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Not to suggest a jinx, but nobody is laughing in Ottawa, and haven’t been for a while. There are positives if you look deep enough. Veteran Claude Giroux is having another terrific season, as he currently sits second on the team with 32 points. In addition, still-suspended centre Shane Pinto is soon eligible back and looks for redemption after missing the first half of the NHL schedule. Finally, if we look to the farm, goaltender prospect Mads Sogaard has been unbelievable. He sports a .920 SV% and a 2.48 GAA. The team sits third in the AHL’s North Division, and are red hot winners of seven straight.
Main photo: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
