Senators look to bounce back in Game 3; Kleven, Zub remain injury question marks

We check in the Senators organization about how the playoffs are going and what we can expect here at home ahead of game 3 at the CTC.

The Ottawa Senators could again be severely short-handed on defence facing an uphill climb.

The club held an optional practice Wednesday, down 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes in the teams’ first-round playoff series.

Bruising blueliner Tyler Kleven took the ice in a regular jersey for the second straight session with extra protection for his jaw after taking a puck to the face April 2, but top-pair option Artem Zub didn’t emerge from the tunnel.

• FULL COVERAGE: Ottawa Senators face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs

Head coach Travis Green said the Russian hasn’t skated since leaving Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. He delivered a big hit on Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis in the opening period before departing for the locker room.

Green added Kleven is “getting closer” to a return with Game 3 set for Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre, while Zub hasn’t been ruled out of the series.

Ottawa trails the best-of-seven matchup against battle-tested Carolina — the Eastern Conference’s top seed — after falling 2-0 on Saturday before Monday’s gut-wrenching 3-2 double-overtime loss.

Down three of the team’s regular six defencemen, Jake Sanderson played 43 minutes six seconds in Game 2, while Thomas Chabot (40:50) and Jordan Spence (39:01) also endured heavy workloads.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press