3 things we learned from Karlsson's return
The Ottawa Senators may have suffered their first regulation loss of the 2017-18 NHL campaign Tuesday night, but at least they got their captain and No. 1 defenseman, Erik Karlsson, back in the fold.
A 3-0 shutout loss to the Vancouver Canucks soured what should have been a generally positive night for the Sens as Karlsson took the ice in game action for the first time since May.
He showed flashes of his former Norris-winning self, but also struggled at times, displaying some of the rust expected from a player coming off ankle surgery.
Here are three things we learned from Karlsson's return.
He hasn't missed a beat offensively
Karlsson may have been held off the scoresheet, but he still demonstrated his offensive touch.
He threw two shots on net, hit a post, and turned in a beauty end-to-end rush that left multiple Canucks defenders searching for their jockstraps.
Check out this play from the first frame:
Karlsson is still Karlsson. pic.twitter.com/TZsAIPg0y5
— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) October 18, 2017
Logging heavy minutes won't be an issue
Half an ankle bone and months away from the ice weren't enough to keep Karlsson from shouldering a serious workload. He led the Senators in ice time Tuesday, logging 22:25.
In addition to resuming his even-strength responsibilities, Karlsson also assumed his familiar position on the top unit of Ottawa's power play.
Sure, it's only one game, but Karlsson is quickly proving that his surgically repaired ankle is ready for heavy minutes.
He needs time to adjust defensively
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
While he already looked relatively comfortable at the other end of the ice, Karlsson's play in his own end still needs some work.
It's hardly worth worrying about his minus-2, but Karlsson did look a bit lost at times defensively - especially on Thomas Vanek's breakaway goal, where Karlsson was left behind and got scored on.
For a guy with a completely reconstructed ankle, though, Karlsson's performance in his first game back was promising. Once he has a few more contests under his belt, expect Karlsson to recapture his All-Star form.