Sanderson to be relied on by Senators in Game 3

KANATA, Ontario -- Everywhere you looked in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round, there was defenseman Jake Sanderson. 

He played a game-high 43:06 for the Ottawa Senators in a 3-2 double-overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.

It's an astounding number, but it is on par with who Sanderson is for the Senators.

The 23-year-old has added more responsibility during each of his four seasons in the NHL and played a career-best 24:50 per game in the regular season, which led the Senators and was ninth in the League.

"I like to think I am well-conditioned and well-trained for everything," Sanderson said before Game 2. "I prepare for it and I am ready for it." 

Down 2-0 in the best-of-7 series and with a banged-up blue line, more will be heaped onto the shoulders of Sanderson, starting in Game 3 at Canada Tire Centre on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TBS, FDSNSO, HBO MAX).

Top-pair defenseman Artem Zub's availability is up in the air because of an undisclosed injury he sustained delivering a hit against Carolina forward Seth Jarvis in Game 1. He did not play in Game 2 and has not skated since the injury. Tyler Kleven, who has not played since April 2 in the regular season because of a broken jaw, skated during an optional practice Wednesday, but his return is not guaranteed.

There is no margin for error. Lose Game 3 and there is almost no way back. Four teams in the history of best-of-7 play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have played Houdini in 213 tries, less than a two-percent conversion rate.

Sanderson knows the work will be heaped upon him. If he can go over the boards, he will. It's the same for Thomas Chabot, who played 40:50 in Game 2 and 26:39 in Game 1.

"I think guys like me and 'Shabby' are ready for anything," Sanderson said Wednesday.

Chris Phillips was a minutes-eater during his time with the Senators from 1997 to 2015. When the Senators made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007, losing to the Anaheim Ducks, Phillips averaged 23:11 per game.

He knows what Sanderson is facing, the burden being placed upon his shoulders.

"You look at it and in a 60-minute game, you want him out there all 60 minutes," said Phillips, now vice president of community and business development for the Senators. "That is just the type of player that he is. There doesn't seem to be any situation that fazes him.

"To play the minutes, he is playing, he is so well-rounded. You look at any situation in the game, and you are like, 'I want him; he's our guy; defense, need a goal, special teams, penalty kill and power play both.'"

Ottawa coach Travis Green admitted it is sometimes hard to give Sanderson a rest. It's something he and assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner must weigh on a constant basis. 

"At the end of the day, you don't want to risk saving a guy and lose a game," Green said.

Green is aware that Sanderson, as well as Chabot, knows how to play maximum minutes, push their tachometers to the red line but never past where they become ineffective.

Green called it floating, which is almost always a bad word in hockey. But not for a No. 1 defenseman. 

The playoffs have been littered with defenders who flirted with playing half of each game during a long run, players like Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins.

Every minute-munching defenseman shares some characteristics. They might play different styles, but each thinks the game the same way. 

"First of all, they have to be smart and good skaters," Green said. "They have to able to manage minutes, pick your spots but also defend hard. (Chabot) and Sandy are capable of that. The guys that do that on the back end, they don't exert a lot of energy."

Phillips explained it this way: "I think a big part of that is being able to, even if you are not a star on the offensive or defensive side of the game, you are able to be reliable and accountable. You know when you throw them on the ice, you are comfortable with who is out there."

Ottawa backup goalie James Reimer has played behind some elite defenders during a 16-season career in the NHL. He says there are two traits that each held in spades.

"It's hockey IQ mixed with a compete level," Reimer said. "Guys with insane IQ, their compete level is still elite. We are talking about the upper echelon. They all have some incredible mixture of compete and hockey IQ."

And Sanderson? 

"For Sandy, his IQ and compete level are in the highest box possible," he said. 

Phillips was asked what the future holds for Sanderson, regardless of what happens in the rest of this series. After all, he is a clear No. 1 in the NHL already and represented the United States in each of the past two Olympics, winning a gold in February in Milan. 

"I think his ceiling is a Norris Trophy ceiling," Phillips said. "If all things fall into place for him over the course of an 82-game season, he is in that conversation that you are having about a top-five defenseman in the game.