Ottawa Senators' Best Defenseman Leaves Game 3 Following A Headshot And A Shot Block

Three nights after Jake Sanderson logged more than 43 minutes in a double-overtime loss in Game 2, the Ottawa Senators defenseman left Game 3 on Thursday night shortly after taking an illegal check to the head and blocking a shot with his hand in the second period.

Sanderson was reaching to clear a puck from the defensive zone when Carolina's Taylor Hall delivered the high hit, which knocked Sanderson's helmet from his head. Hall was assessed a two-minute minor penalty.

While Sanderson remained in the game after taking the hit, he left the game about five minutes later after a shot from Jackson Blake hit Sanderson's left hand.

Sanderson did not return for the third period.

The 23-year-old Sanderson had recently returned from a suspected shoulder injury on April 4 that had kept him out of the lineup for nearly a month. In the playoffs, he's been the Senators' most-utilized defenseman, averaging more than 35 minutes per game and picking up a pair of assists.

"I like to think I am well-conditioned and well-trained for everything," Sanderson told NHL.com's Shawn P. Roarke after Game 2. "I prepare for it and I am ready for it."

With Sanderson out for Game 3, the Senators were down to five defensemen. Of those, two of them (Cameron Crotty and Tyler Kleven) were making their series debut.

"He's their best defenseman by a country mile," Sportsnet's Kevin Bieksa said during the intermission broadcast.

The Ottawa Senators trail the Carolina Hurricanes 0-2 in their best-of-seven series.

More to come…

The Hockey News

This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 9:06 PM.