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WINNIPEG — Captain Erik Karlsson has gone back to Ottawa but he may not be there long.

As for Zack Smith, that’s a different story.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Karlsson could rejoin Sens as early as Sunday, but Smith will miss 'next few games' Back to video

Senators coach Guy Boucher confirmed both have left the road trip and returned to Ottawa. While Karlsson missed his second straight game Saturday night at the MTS Centre, his foot injury isn’t considered serious and there’s a possibility he could rejoin the team Sunday in Detroit.

Smith isn’t going to play with the upper-body ailment he suffered in the first period of the club’s 5-1 loss to Minnesota Thursday night for “the next few games.” While Karlsson could be back much sooner, the Senators wanted both of them to see their doctors in Ottawa.

“We knew they weren’t playing and we wanted them to get the best treatment possible in our facilities,” Boucher said Saturday morning before facing the Jets. “We thought it was better. Erik is day-to-day so he could come (back) at any moment.

“You never know, it could be Monday, it could be Tuesday, it could be Thursday. We just made sure that he was in the best environment to get the best treatment. For him, he’s in rehab right now, and you want to focus on the rehab, so that’s what we did with him and Smitty.”

Smith’s spot in the lineup Saturday was taken by Alex Burrows, who returned after a one-game absence with an upper body injury.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

Twitter: @sungarrioch