Senators' Brannstrom out 6-8 weeks with broken hand

Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Brannstrom will miss six-to-eight weeks with a broken hand, head coach D.J. Smith said Saturday, according to TSN 1200.

Brannstrom may need surgery, but a decision hasn't been made yet.

The 22-year-old has gone pointless in two contests with the Senators this season. He's managed three points in nine games with the AHL's Belleville Senators.

Ottawa has been hit hard by a recent wave of COVID-19 cases as well as injuries. The team removed defenseman Nikita Zaitsev from the COVID-19 protocol list earlier Saturday, but eight players remain on it.

Drake Batherson - who leads the Senators with 12 points - missed practice Saturday due to a positive test. Smith added that Batherson hasn't been placed in the protocol yet and that the team is retesting him to make sure it wasn't a false positive.

Shane Pinto and Artem Zub are both game-time decisions for Saturday's contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Smith confirmed. Pinto hasn't played since Oct. 21, while Zub sustained an injury during Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.