Notebook: Senators back on the ice

The Senators hit the ice for practice today following their 8-7 win over the Kings on Monday afternoon.

Following yesterday's off day, the team was back in full force as they prepare to take on the Devils tomorrow night. Tickets are available for the game HERE.

Ahead of today's practice the Senators recalled a pair of players — both of whom joined the team on the ice.

Sens lines at practice featured much of the same line up as the game against the Kings.

Tkachuk-Stützle-Giroux
Gregor-Norris-Batherson
Perron-Pinto-Amadio
Cousins-Gaudette-MacEwen

The defensive pairings rolled out, minus Artem Zub who left the game early on Monday following a hit in the first period.

Sanderson-Hamonic
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-JBD

Goaltender Linus Ullmark was absent from practice as well, with Anton Forsberg and Mads Sogaard between the pipes today.

An Opportunity for JBD

Following the 37-minute practice session, Jacob Bernard-Docker acknowledged that is he is disappointed to hear of the injury to Artem Zub, but wants to step in and make an immediate impact with his opportunity.

Bernard-Docker noted that he has been preparing for an opportunity like this by staying in shape with work-outs and mental preparation. He hopes to bring a level of consistency and will target the coaching staff's goals of being hard to play against as his main focus when he draws into the line-up on Thursday.

The 24-year-old defenseman also talked through a scary moment from practice where he and Thomas Chabot collided, leaving both players shaken up but thankfully okay. Bernard-Docker also added that he is excited to be paired with his former University of North Dakota defence partner Tyler Kleven and expressed that it should be easier finding chemistry with a player he has such a long history with.

Anton Forsberg took his time with the media to explain the frustration he felt following the high-scoring Kings game on Monday.

"Obviously it didn't go the way I wanted, but it's nice to get another opportunity and get back training and get going," he said. "It was nice we got a win out of it — those two points matter, so it's great."

"Zub is a really important player for our group," Hamonic spoke after practice. "He plays some hard minutes for us and we obviously know the kind of player that he is, the presence he brings to our group, so when you see him go down like that it is never good."

Today's practice also saw Senators veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic moving up the line-up and onto a familiar pairing with his partner for much of last season, Jake Sanderson. During the last game he also found himself paired with Nick Jensen, and Hamonic cited communication as a key to that transition.

Head Coach Travis Green kicked off his media availability with the news that Artem Zub was diagnosed with a concussion that he will be dealing with for about a week. He also added that Linus Ullmark skated today and is progressing well from an injury that he suffered prior to Monday.

Green also addressed the high-scoring affair on Thanksgiving Monday, citing strong 5-on 5 play and power play efficiency as positive takeaways from the game.

The head coach also discussed the fact he is squaring off against a former team when the Sens square off against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

"Anytime you play an old team you want to win," he said. "That's just human nature. They're going to want to win and it doesn't have a big effect on the game that's for sure. I want to win every game now."

Tickets for Thursday's game are available HERE, where fans can enjoy the Senators' first Throwback Thursday night!

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