Nick Jensen will have to watch from the press box amidst a tough stretch for the defenceman.
The Ottawa Senators have decided to healthy scratch the 35-year-old blueliner for Monday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team announced after morning skate.
"Not an easy decision. Could've been a few guys, tonight it's Jens," head coach Travis Green told reporters. "For different reasons that stay within our room, maybe it's a matchup we like, it can change from night to night, too. Could be Jens tonight, could be someone else tomorrow."
Jensen has seen his minutes dwindle of late, suiting up for only 14:30 of ice time in the Senators' 7-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and finishing with a minus-2.
He's averaging 16:43 of ice time this season, the lowest mark of his career since his second year in the league in 2017-18, and has only one goal and seven assists in 37 games while carrying a minus-10 plus-minus, second-worst on the team.
"This is one of those decisions that we put a lot of thought into, and it's not easy," Green said, "It's not an easy day for Jens either — I feel for him."
In brighter news for the Senators, centre Shane Pinto is approaching a return from an upper-body injury that has kept him out since early December.
Pinto continued ramping up after rejoining the team for skates before the holiday break and practising for the first time on Sunday, but Green remained non-committal about his availability for Monday's game against Columbus, calling him TBD.
The 25-year-old suffered the injury in a loss to the New York Rangers on Dec. 4 when he fell awkwardly.
The Franklin Square, N.Y., native has 12 goals and six assists in 27 games and is averaging a career-high 18:58 of ice time a night.
2:56
2:09
