from Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen,

Karlsson still has more gears than most on the ice, but whatever, exactly, is the nature of his foot injury, he didn’t catch the Bruins off-guard with the blinding two- or three-step explosiveness that helps make him the world’s top defenceman.

He appeared a tad cautious in trying to jump up to cut off passes in the neutral zone, perhaps wary of being burned by Bruins forwards who might slip behind him.

All of that is to say we can throw out the window the Senators’ pre-series talk that the Karlsson who blistered opponents for nine goals and 18 assists in his final 25 regular-season games would be the same Karlsson on the ice against the Bruins.

Karlsson himself went there Friday, the eve of Saturday’s matinee.

“It’s better,” he said about the right foot he injured against the Detroit Red Wings on April 4 on the heels of a left foot injury on March 28. “I think it’s progressing every day and I went for a little skate today and it is what it is.”

read on