Senators’ Shane Pinto leaves vs. Lightning with upper-body injury

The Ottawa Senators are taking another hit down the middle.

Centre Shane Pinto left Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first period after taking an awkward hit and did not return for the second period. The team later announced he was ruled out for the remainder of the game with an upper-body injury.

The injury happened midway through the opening frame when Pinto was hit awkwardly by Lightning defenceman Nick Perbix as he went in on the forecheck. Pinto skated off on his own, but appeared to be in some discomfort and was holding his arm.

The 24-year-old is in the midst of a hot streak for the Senators, registering points in his last five games, all of which Ottawa has won. In 45 games this season, Pinto has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points.

This comes as yet another blow to the Senators’ centre depth ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, as the team also lost second-line centre Josh Norris to a mid-body injury over the weekend. The Senators currently sit in a playoff spot, ranking third in the Atlantic Division.