Jake Sanderson injury update: Senators D hurt on 'blatant' hit to head

The Ottawa Senators had to finish their Game 3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes without key defenseman Jake Sanderson after an illegal hit to the head.

Carolina’s Taylor Hall received a two-minute penalty for Thursday’s hit, which sent Sanderson’s helmet flying. Sanderson, who also blocked a shot with his hand, played two more shifts before heading down the tunnel during a power play.

Senators coach Travis Green told reporters that the hit to the head was what caused the defenseman to leave the game.

“I just don’t understand how there’s not a five-minute major called on the hit to the head,” he said. “It’s a blatant hit to the head, the kind of hits you don’t want to see.

“It’s ridiculous there wasn’t a review. They called a review on (Senators captain) Brady (Tkachuk) on a penalty that I don’t even know what the penalty was, and they totally miss a review on (Hall).”

Sanderson, who won a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics, was the Senators’ top-scoring defenseman with 54 points in the regular season. He has two assists in the playoffs and played 43 minutes in Ottawa’s double-overtime loss in Game 2.

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