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Sens star Jason Spezza has injured knee; not expected to return for some time

The Ottawa Senators could be without Jason Spezza for a considerable amount of time.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators could be without Jason Spezza for a considerable amount of time.

The star forward suffered a knee injury in a 3-2 loss to Toronto on Monday. The extent of the injury won’t be known until after Spezza undergoes a scheduled MRI on Tuesday night, but Ottawa’s head coach Cory Clouston said it looks “serious.”

“It means we have to be more of a team than ever,” said Clouston. “It means we’ll have to have guys step up, play with structure. It’s a great opportunity for some guys.”

Spezza left the game in the third period after getting tangled up with Leafs forward Lee Stempniak during a faceoff and didn’t return.

Clouston also said injured goaltender Pascal Leclaire and forward Chris Neil were close to a return. Leclaire suffered a fractured cheekbone in November while Neil has been out with a knee injury.