GARRIOCH: The Senators take another hit with Thomas Chabot out against Oilers

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The task of making the playoffs is already difficult for the Ottawa Senators.

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It was even a little tougher as they faced the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night to wrap up the club’s five-game road trip at Rogers Place Arena.

Top defenceman Thomas Chabot, who left the third period of the club’s 5-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Sunday after blocking a shot, took a short twirl during the morning skate Tuesday and then left the ice immediately.

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Chabot didn’t suit up against the Oilers and neither did winger Mathieu Joseph, who left the game in the first period Sunday after hitting the boards hard. Rugged winger Parker Kelly blocked a shot against Calgary as well, didn’t skate and wasn’t expected to play either.

Coach D.J. Smith told reporters in Edmonton all three were doubtful.

“Some guys came off this morning that didn’t feel good,” Smith said before the game. “There will be a lot of game-time decisions.”

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The expectation was Nick Holden and Derick Brassard would suit up against Edmonton along with centre Patrick Brown. All three were scratched in Calgary because Smith wanted to make changes after the club’s 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

If Chabot is lost for any length of time, it will be a huge blow. In 61 games this season, he’s played an average of 25 minutes and 18 seconds on a nightly basis. He’s a minus-13 and hasn’t been at his best this year, but you need to have him on the ice to help shut down opponents.

The Senators have had to deal with adversity all year, but the injuries are starting to mount as they head down the stretch.

While top centre Josh Norris has essentially been gone all year, the Senators are now without both of their top goalies. First, Anton Forsberg left in mid-February after injuring both of his MCLs and then Cam Talbot was sent home from the trip last week with an oblique injury.

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The 35-year-old Talbot will be out at least three weeks and he may have suited up for his last game with the Senators. That has pressed rookie goalies Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese, who have 12 games of NHL experience between them, into duty.

We won’t know Talbot’s status until the Senators get back from the trip. He could still be ready before the end of the year, but the type of injury he has is always unpredictable. This is the third time this season he’s missed a lengthy stretch.

While the 22-year-old Sogaard has a 5-2-1 record in eight games, his numbers aren’t that good, and they’ll have to improve for the club to have a sniff of the playoffs. In his three starts on this trip, he has a 1-2-0 record with an .843 save percentage and a 4.36 goals-against average.

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Mandolese made the start Sunday on the back end of the back-to-back and allowed five goals on 35 shots. He didn’t have a whole lot of help in front of him and even the goal the Senators did score was on a gift giveaway in front of the Calgary net.

The club went back to Sogaard against the Oilers and the Senators are hoping to ride him until Talbot is healthy.

Only nine days ago, the Senators started the five-game road in Chicago riding a five-game winning streak amid boundless optimism the club could make a push for one of the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Coming off the losses to Vancouver and Calgary, the Senators had suddenly lost three of their last four as they prepared to face the Oilers. The club sat six points behind the New York Islanders for the final wildcard spot in the East but had three teams to pass.

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The Senators have two games in hand on the Isles, who faced the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night to start a trip through the Western Conference.

“For a young team that hasn’t been in this scenario, I thought we passed with flying colours at home, but it poses another issue on the road where we haven’t had as much success,” Smith said before the game. “We’re going to look to finish the trip on the right note.

“We talk about month-by-month, and we don’t like the way we’ve played the last (games). There’s a difference between losing and playing the right way, and I don’t think we were very good in Calgary. It goes week-to-week. One week you’re the hero and the next you’re the goat. We’re going to do our best here.

“Regardless, these guys are playing meaningful games, they’re learning what it’s like to play under the spotlight at this time of year and they’re going to be better players for it.”

It’s unfortunate the Senators aren’t doing this with all hands on deck.

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