OTTAWA — After 270 days out, all is well for Josh Norris.
The Ottawa Senators centre returned to the lineup Wednesday night after missing all of training camp and the first three games of the season, and scored a power-play goal 12 minutes into the game.
That first-period goal proved to be the winner, and he added another in the second to lead the Senators to a 6-1 win over the Washington Capitals for their third straight win.
The road back to the game has been a difficult one for the 24-year-old Norris. He played just eight games last season because of shoulder problems that started early in the season and eventually underwent surgery in January.
“Obviously, it's been a long road and some long days and we're finally here now,” said Norris. “So, I think it's kind of one of those moments. It's weird, like, I think God's pretty amazing and I don't want to get like too philosophical here, but yeah, it's just a great night and happy we won.”
Norris was anxiously looking forward to this season, but at the start of training camp the team announced he had tweaked his shoulder and would be wearing a non-contact jersey. At the time the team downplayed the issue and said Norris would play in the pre-season.
Norris never suited up for an exhibition game, however, and when he wasn’t ready for opening night there was much speculation as to what was holding him back.
After the game, Norris admitted he needed some extra time and reassurance before deciding he was ready to return to action.
“I mean, I think, just after, you know, talking to some (doctors) and making sure everything was OK, and I think most importantly, just feeling comfortable in my own brain," he said. "Once I kind of got the OK, it's just, you know, trying to trust yourself. It took a little bit of time and then you know, just started to feel normal.”
As excited as Norris was to be back, his teammates were equally thrilled.
“He did what he gets paid for and put it right in the back of the net,” said linemate Drake Batherson, who set Norris up for both goals. “Super pumped for him and his family. For him to get back out there tonight, I know how excited he was. He was just happy to play, let alone get two.”
Vladimir Tarasenko, Artem Zub, Claude Giroux and Jake Sanderson also scored for the Senators (3-1-0). Anton Forsberg made 23 saves.
The Capitals, playing their first road game of the season, started off strong in the first period, but some poor defensive coverage in the remaining 40 minutes proved too much to overcome.
“In the first period, I liked our game a lot,” said Capitals coach Spencer Carbery. “I thought it was probably our best 20 minutes of the season thus far. We’re down 2-1, but I didn’t think that was an issue from a score standpoint, being able to come back in the game.
"Then the second period, sort of a microcosm of how the year is going for this group right now. Every mistake we make is ending up in the back of the net.”
John Carlson scored the Capitals' lone goal. Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 shots for Washington (1-2-0).
The Senators took a 2-1 lead in the opening period.
Tarasenko opened the scoring four minutes in after taking a pass from Ridly Greig to beat Kuemper, but it was Norris’ power-play goal midway through the period that brought the crowd to its feet.
“He went through a lot and, you know, a lot of bad days,” said Senators coach D.J. Smith. “I know how emotional he was when he got hurt. To get to this point and get a couple goals here tonight, he just wanted to contribute. It was great.”
The Capitals cut the score in half with a late goal when Carlson beat Forsberg through traffic.
Three goals in the second period were the difference for the Senators.
Norris picked up his second by beating Kuemper glove side two minutes in. Zub scored with a shot from the blue line three minutes later and Giroux picked up his first of the season after some poor coverage allowed him to drive to the net uncontested for an easy tap-in.
“It’s too early in the year to panic too much,” said Washington’s Trevor van Riemsdyk. “It’s just a learning experience, but we’ve got to take from it what we did wrong and improve on it. We can’t just chalk it up as unlucky bounces or whatever it may be.”
Washington managed just three shots on goal in the third, while Sanderson rounded out the scoring for the Senators with his second of the season.
MILESTONE FOR BACKSTROM
Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom skated in his 1,100th career NHL game Wednesday. Backstrom made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2007, against the Thrashers in Atlanta. Backstrom scored his first NHL goal against the Senators that season, beating the late Ray Emery for what would prove to be the game-winning goal in a 4-1 Caps victory.
NOTES: Zack MacEwen was a healthy scratch for the Senators. Lucas Johansen and Aliaksei Protas did not dress for the Capitals.
UP NEXT: The Senators will host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday afternoon, while Washington will head to Montreal to take on the Canadiens on Saturday night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2023.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press