All signs are pointing to Craig Anderson starting a game later this week, but the netminder is reluctant to put a definitive timeline on his return to action.
Anderson has participated in the team’s practices for the past several days and will accompany them to start their seven-game road trip in Boston on Tuesday. On the weekend, head coach Paul MacLean ruled Anderson out of that start against the Bruins — but there is a chance he could play Friday night in Buffalo.
“I don’t want to look too far in the future and pick a date and then have to keep pushing it back,” Anderson explained. “Right now it’s focusing on what I can do to make sure tomorrow’s practice is better than today’s. As far as timing, I’m starting to see a lot more pucks and I’m feeling a lot better. But it comes down to how comfortable I feel with the injury and do everything that I possibly can.”
Anderson has not played since suffering a sprained right ankle during a win over the New York Rangers on Feb. 21. He had been leading the NHL in most statistical categories for goaltenders at the time of his injury, including GAA (1.49) and save percentage (.952).
The Senators were optimistic that Anderson would be able to return in just a couple of weeks, but the recovery has taken almost six weeks.
“I’m going on the road trip and that’s a good start. We’re just going day-by-day. Every day I’m out there it’s getting better and better, but I still need to make sure that I feel 100 per cent comfortable with all the movements in the net,” Anderson added. “We just need to be sure that when I do get in there, there are no question marks and no hesitations. We’re not there yet.”
