Photo credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Carter Yakemchuk went down hurt, and Travis Green now has an Ottawa problem that could get even bigger if Noah Gregor faces more discipline.
The hit changed the whole feel of the night in a hurry.
Yakemchuk needed help getting off the ice after taking a high elbow, and that instantly put the focus on his status.
For the Senators, this is bigger than one ugly sequence.
It's a blue-line issue, a bench issue, and a coaching issue all at once.
Yakemchuk had been earning real attention inside Ottawa's lineup picture.
A young defenseman starting to grab trust is the kind of piece a coach doesn't want to lose right now.
That's where Green gets squeezed.
If Yakemchuk misses time, Ottawa has to reshuffle pairings, adjust usage, and ask someone else to handle tougher minutes.
The Senators also needed a push after the major was called.
When a teammate goes down like that, the group has to answer with more than emotion.
Noah Gregor could still hear from Player Safety
The major penalty on the ice may not be the end of it for Gregor.
The NHL's Player Safety Department could still take a look and decide the hit warrants supplemental discipline.
That possibility matters because the play had all the elements that get attention fast: head contact, a player needing help, and a reaction that immediately raised alarms.
If Player Safety steps in, the story shifts from one dangerous moment to a bigger league issue.
And for Ottawa, that would only underline how costly the sequence was.
Green now waits on two fronts.
He needs to know whether Yakemchuk avoided something serious, and he needs to see whether the league adds anything to Gregor's punishment.
That's why this story isn't going away after the final horn.
Ottawa may have lost more than a defenseman for the night.
Yakemchuk looked like a player carving out space for himself. Now the Senators are left hoping the damage is limited and that the league takes a hard look at what happened.
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