Karlsson could have returned to Game 4, expected to play Game 5

Erik Karlsson's departure from the third period of Game 4 against the New York Rangers appears to have been precautionary.

Ottawa Senators head coach Guy Boucher said Karlsson could have played the final frame but the team chose to keep him out, and the superstar defenseman is expected to play in Game 5 on Saturday.

"We felt it was better for him to keep him off the ice in the (third) period," Boucher told reporters postgame. "He could've came back but we just wanted to make sure."

The head coach would only classify Karlsson's ailment as a "lower-body" injury.

The all-world blue-liner left for the dressing room at the second intermission in apparent pain after colliding with Rangers forward J.T. Miller near the boards on his last shift of the frame.

He didn't return for the third period with the Senators trailing 3-0, and New York held on for a 4-1 victory that evened the series at 2-2.

After Ottawa's first-round series win over the Boston Bruins, Karlsson admitted playing through a pair of hairline fractures in his left heel, and Boucher said at the time that his captain was "over" it and "perfectly healthy."

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