Senators still without Shane Pinto, Josh Norris as break ends

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The Ottawa Senators participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off weren’t the only ones noticeable by their absence on Tuesday.

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As the Senators reconvened for a late-afternoon skate at the Canadian Tire Centre after a nine-day break, there was no sign of injured forwards Josh Norris and Shane Pinto among the group that participated.

The Senators don’t play again until the two-week hiatus from the schedule comes to an end on Saturday when the Montreal Canadiens come to town, but it sounds doubtful that Norris or Pinto will be ready for that one.

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“They’re skating on their own and they’re coming along,” coach Travis Green said Tuesday. “I’m not sure where they’re going to be at as far as getting in (to the lineup) this weekend, but we’ll know more as the week goes.”

The club recalled forward Cole Reinhardt from its American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville on Tuesday so there is a good chance that neither Norris nor Pinto will be ready to play.

Norris had a mid-body injury Feb. 1 against the Minnesota Wild that forced him to miss the final road trip before the break. Pinto suffered an upper-body injury on Feb. 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and missed two games.

Also, defenceman Thomas Chabot left the skate early, but it didn’t sound like it was anything that Green was initially concerned about. The club will skate again on Wednesday before holding an off-ice workout Thursday.

Swedish goaltender Linus Ullmark and Finnish defenceman Nikolas Matinpalo weren’t on the ice with the Senators after competing in the tournament.

This first skate was simply about shaking off the rust for a group of players who have spent time enjoying sun, sand and surf while some of their teammates participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

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The club does have some help on the way, with winger Noah Gregor telling reporters after the short skate that he’ll be good to go after missing 15 games with an undisclosed upper-body ailment.

“The timeline was right around that last game before the break and we didn’t really feel like that was a good time to come back and play one game,” said Gregor. “Especially when I could have two weeks off. As long as there are no setbacks, I’ll be good to go Saturday.”

Defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker, who has missed 20 games with a high-ankle sprain, was a full participant in the short skate. He is closing in on a return from the injury he suffered six weeks ago during a collision with Zack Ostapchuk in practice.

Bernard-Docker has been skating with the other injured players for the last three weeks, so it was good for him to be part of the main group.

If all goes well, he expects to be ready next Wednesday when the Winnipeg Jets visit, and if that’s the case the club will have roster decisions to make because that will give them eight healthy defencemen.

“It feels good to be back with the boys,” a relieved Bernard-Docker said. “The rehab skates serve their purpose, but it’s definitely nice to be back with the group. Overall, I’m pretty good. I don’t know, this Saturday might be up in the air, but after that I should be good to go.

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“Our trainers here are unbelievable, and they did a great job taking care of me and kind of pushing me to strengthen every day. And I’m in a good spot. I feel strong and ready to go.”

High-ankle sprains can be unpredictable.

“It was pretty painful. I don’t even really like to think about it,” Bernard-Docker said. “I think I spent three or four weeks rehabbing after that before getting on the ice.”

Captain Brady Tkachuk and defenceman Jake Sanderson, who are both in Boston with the United States team preparing for the final against Canada, won’t return to skate with the Senators until Saturday’s morning skate in preparation for the Habs.

Their teammates back in Ottawa will be tuning in to the final.

“I’ve been loving watching it,” said Bernard-Docker. “That Canada/USA game was unreal. So we can’t wait for Thursday, and it’s awesome having a bunch of guys from the team who are rooting for the Americans and then the Canadians.

“So it’ll be, it’ll be fun to watch together.”

Sitting in a wildcard spot, the Senators have 26 games left on the schedule to book a trip to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. Sixteen of those will be played at home so the club has to take advantage of that fact.

The Senators lost three straight heading into the break, but that feels like it was a long time ago and everybody will have the chance for a fresh start.

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