Blue-line boost nears for Senators with Sanderson, Zub closing in on a return

Help is on the way for the Ottawa Senators’ banged-up blue line.

Jorian Donovan made his season debut with the Senators when they faced the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre and became the ninth defenceman to suit up for the club in the seven games it has played this season.

The Senators took another hit on Monday in the club’s 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center when blue-liner Nikolas Matinpalo left in the first period after being slammed into the boards by winger Anthony Mantha.

Coach Travis Green told reporters after the game that “it was pretty obvious” what the injury was, which means that Matinpalo likely suffered a concussion. He left the game, and that meant the Senators were forced to finish the night with only five defenders.

There is no timetable for Matinpalo, but he had stepped up to play a key role with the injuries the club has faced among its defence corps early in the season. He’s capable, reliable and would likely be a regular with most teams in the National Hockey League.

The Senators went into the visit by the Blues with a 5-1-0 record, the club’s best start since 2007-08, but at some point you have to wonder when all these injuries are going to catch up to them.

They’ve found a way to win, but a lot of that success has to do with goaltender Linus Ullmark and timely scoring, particularly from top centre Tim Stutzle.

The Senators have been able to win without their top pairing of Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub.

Green told reporters before facing the Blues that both skated on Tuesday and are closing in on a return. The absence of both has been a cause for concern among the fan base.

“Expecting both in the next couple of days,” Green said.

Sanderson left midway through the club’s season opener on Oct. 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs when he aggravated an undisclosed lower-body injury he suffered in the pre-season on Sept. 29 against the Montreal Canadiens.

That injury was separate from the one that kept Sanderson out of the first week of training camp. He has been skating on his own but has yet to join the Senators for a practice.

Zub is a different story.

He hasn’t played since he suffered a knee injury after hitting Seth Jarvis in Game 1 of the club’s playoff series last spring against the Carolina Hurricanes. Zub didn’t have surgery to repair the ailment and has been skating since he arrived back in Ottawa in August.

The 31-year-old Zub, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, was scheduled to be ready for the start of the season, but Green told reporters during camp that he “suffered a setback” that pushed back his timeline.

Zub skated with the Senators before they faced the Nashville Predators at home on Saturday, so he may be closer than Sanderson.

Either way, getting one or both back would be helpful.

If you think you’ve seen this movie before, you’re correct.

The Senators used 13 defencemen in 82 games last season, and when Zub suits up, he’ll become the 10th blue-liner to pull on the jersey.

Defenceman Cam Crotty, who was the club’s extra when the season started, was placed on injured reserve on Sunday with an undisclosed ailment.

He was a late scratch before last Thursday’s home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers, and rookie Hoyt Stanley was pressed into action in the 2-1 win.

Donovan was called up on the weekend but was scratched against the Devils. The 22-year-old suited up for the first two games of his NHL career last season and missed most of camp with a lower-body injury.

Green and his staff have been forced to tax the healthy defencemen that they do have. Captain Thomas Chabot can handle a lot of work, and he’s averaging more than 27 minutes per night, which is up five minutes from last season.

The Senators weren’t sure if they were going to keep rookie defender Carter Yakemchuk at the end of camp because they felt his defensive game needed more work. He played more than 22 minutes against the Devils on Monday.

The Senators have passed every test their injury-ravaged blue line has thrown at them thus far. The challenge is to make sure those injuries don’t turn a promising start into a step back.

Getting Sanderson and Zub back as soon as possible would be a good place to start.