Watson will sit on Thursday as Conor Sheary (upper-body) makes his return to the lineup. Watson has one goal and zero assists in 15 games this season.
Austin Watson News
Watson will enter the lineup in place of Alex Barre-Boulet, who is listed as a scratch for Thursday's game in Chicago. Watson has no points and seven shots on goal in five games this season.
Michael Eyssimont will return to Tampa Bay's lineup in place of Watson as the Lightning do a bit of lineup rotation for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Watson has registered zero points, four shots on goal, and 10 hits across four games this season.
Watson was brought into Tampa Bay's training camp on a PTO and has successfully been signed to a one-year, $776,667 contract Monday. The 31-year-old veteran is joining his third NHL team (NSH, OTT) for his 10th career season. He had nine goals, two assists, 123 PIMs and 79 SOG in 75 games played with Ottawa in 2022-23.
Watson has four goals, two assists, 52 SOG, 56 PIMs and a -11 plus/minus through 50 games this season but will miss Friday's game vs. Chicago due to illness. He will hope to be back in the lineup soon to break his current 12-game pointless drought.
Watson has been a healthy scratch for the Senators' previous three games but will draw back into the lineup Monday as the team takes on Calgary. The 31-year-old has four goals, six points, 49 SOG, 56 PIMs and a -10 plus/minus through 48 games this season.
Watson will not be available for Sunday's game in Washington or Tuesday's game vs. the Blues. Watson will likely be replaced by Clark Bishop in the bottom-6 on Sunday. He'll be eligible to return Thursday in Buffalo.
Watson is expected to miss his eighth straight game on Monday but head coach DJ Smith said he could make his season debut on Tuesday vs. the Wild. Watson would presumably replace Logan Shaw on the fourth line with Dylan Gambrell and Zach Sanford.
Watson broke his hand in Monday's win over the Flames and is expected to be out until at least late-April. With Watson out, Alex Formenton will make his season debut with the Senators on Wednesday.
Watson started 2019 with an 18-game suspension and ended up playing just 37 games, scoring seven goals with nine assists (16 points) in 37 games. He figures to be a key factor of the Predators' fourth-line in 2019-20.
Watson was a healthy scratch for the last three games but will replace Colin Blackwell in the lineup tonight. Watson has posted 13 points (6G / 7A) in 45 games this season.