Sens defenceman Mark Borowiecki provided an injury update this morning after taking part in the team's optional skate and thanked his teammates for their strong play in the playoffs affording him more time to recover for a potential return.

On the recovery process for his lower-body injury:

I've kind of seemed to turn a corner here in the last little bit. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not going tonight. There's still a little bit to go here but I'm pretty happy. Obviously, it's been a bit of a long layoff but the past few days let it really calm down and it seems to be doing good.



On taking part in this morning's optional skate:

I had back-to-back good skates yesterday and the day before. I skated with some of the guys yesterday and then obviously out there of a bit of the optional this morning. It was just nice to be out there again and be around the team and feel like you're part of it.

Tweet from @Senators: Mark Borowiecki joins the squad for the optional skate this morning. #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/3k6s3uuzal



On his current conditioning level:

I'll be honest, I go pretty hard when I'm off the ice and I actually feel really good conditioning-wise. I've been working out hard so I don't feel too far off of it. You just have to get used to that skating motion again and what that does to your legs and your body. Obviously, you can't really replicate that off the ice but right now I'm just doing touches with the puck and getting my timing back. It felt pretty good but still some work to do.



On being able to return during this series:

I would definitely like to but there are a lot of different variables. It's also a matter of seeing how I react after I push it and kind of go from there. The guys are definitely giving me a chance so I'm pretty thankful and grateful to have the opportunity to hopefully push a bit.



On watching the games and wanting to stand up for his teammates:

I'm always itching to get back in there when things get rowdy. To be honest with you, the one that drove me nuts was the one in New York with Turris. My blood was boiling a bit there but it's one of those things. You always want to be out there helping out but it's been really exciting to watch. I think we have something special going on here and you just want to be a part of it and contribute on the ice too.



On adjusting to playoff hockey after being out for a few weeks:

It's obviously a long layoff but we've all been in this league a little bit. I've been a pro for seven years now and I've had injuries that I've come back from so you know what it's like. Those first couple of periods are about getting that timing back and things feel like they're moving fast but we've all overcome layoffs and time off.



On if he knew the severity of his injury when it happened:

It didn't feel good when it happened, I'll tell you that. We went through a couple of things to try and figure out what was going on and once we figured out what it was I knew maybe it would be a little bit longer. I don't think I did myself any favours towards the end of that Boston series and even the New York series. I was getting a little antsy and going stir crazy so I started to push, push, push. I had it in my head that "all right, I'm coming back this game" and then I'd maybe do a little more damage so then it was "I'll come back this game" and I'd just set myself back a bit. Our medical staff was good about sitting me down and telling me to take a load off and let things recover so I did that and that's when it really seemed to turn the corner.

Video: BOS@OTT, Gm2: Borowiecki exits early with injury