When defenseman Artem Zub suffered a concussion in the Ottawa Senators' third game of the season on Oct. 14, they needed another defenseman to fill his role. To fill in Zub's role, the Senators relied on Jacob Bernard-Docker.
Bernard-Docker was the former 26th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft by the Senators, and has sturggled to get playing time. Bernard-Docker only played in 32 games from 2020-2023.
Last season, the Senators started letting Bernard-Docker to get significant playing time by having him play in 74 games. Bernard-Docker only recorded 14 points, and didn't make the 2024 opening night roster. This season, it may have started rough for Bernard-Docker when he got NHL experience again, but he has been more consistent which the Senators needed.
Bernard-Docker finding consistency will help give him and the Senators confidence
Since the fourth game of the season, Bernard-Docker has played in every game on defense. The first two games went rough for Bernard-Docker as he reocrded a negative rating in every game, and one game he recorded a -2 rating.
Since last Friday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Bernard-Docker has found consistency that will help him grow his confidence. Bernard-Docker recorded an assist in the game against the Golden Knights, and has been a steady defenseman.
After starting with a -3 rating in the first two games he played, Bernard-Docker hasn't had another game with a negative rating and is now at a +2 rating. Bernard-Docker recorded a +3 rating in the Senators' 8-1 win against the St. Louis Blues this past Tuesday, and recorded the primary assist on Brady Tkachuk's goal last night in the second period against the Seattle Kraken.
The Tkaptain scores at 11:11 in the 11th month in the 11th game of the season with 11 on the bench 1️⃣1️⃣#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/DA99L0jZog
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 3, 2024
There still is no set date for Zub to return to the lineup, but head coach Travis Green provided an update that the Senators will know Zub is ready to return when he starts skating with the team. Zub has skated on his own, but not with the team.
With no date for Zub yet, that means Bernard-Docker will continue to get more playing time and NHL experience. Bernard-Docker needed playing time and his confidence to start back up after not playing in the first three games of the season, and he certainly has helped the Senators with Zub out of the lineup.