SNAPSHOTS: Tyler Ennis has his season come to an end in his milestone game

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A tough way to end a milestone day for Tyler Ennis.

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There’s no question he’ll remember game No. 700 of his NHL career because the 32-year-old Ennis finished the afternoon as a spectator and it likely was the last time he’ll suit up this season.

Ennis left the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury in the second period after a hit from Gustav Lindstrom in Ottawa’s 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon at the Canadian Tire Center.

Ennis went hard into the boards at 2:12 of the second and went straight to the dressing room.

It has been a long road to 700 for Ennis, who’s in his 13th season in the league, and to suffer the shoulder injury must have been devastating.

“He’s likely done for the season. We’ll get him re-evaluated but he’s likely done,” coach DJ Smith said.

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That’s too bad for Ennis because this is his 13th season in the league and, as an unrestricted free agent trying to earn a contract for next year, this wouldn’t be the way he’d want it to end.

He has had to take a step back to take a step forward, but give the Senators winger credit for that kind of longevity. This is his second stint from him with Ottawa and it has been a long road after being drafted No. 26 overall by Buffalo in 2008.

Ennis has 144 goals and 346 points in 700 career games. That he was able to get to this point says a lot about his persistence.

“It says a lot about his toughness. He’s a not a big guy,” Smith said before the game. “To play 700 games in this league with different teams, and he’s had some injuries, and take some pay cuts over the years to stay in the league.

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“It’d be easy for a guy like him to go to Europe a couple of years ago to get paid a and a lot of guys do that. He loves the NHL, he’s still mad when he sits out because he’s a guy who wants to be in there. The guys really like him everywhere he’s gone. The guys really respect him so it’ll be exciting for him today.”

THIS ‘N’ THAT

The Senators had never had a hat-trick against the Wings in franchise history and now the club has two in two straight games. First, it was Mathieu Joseph in Friday’s 5-2 win then Josh Norris did it Sunday to reach the 30-goal plateau. He’s the first Ottawa player to score 30 since Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza had 30-plus goals in 2011-12. “I just try to play my best every night and let the results take care of themselves,” Norris said. “It’s a long year with a lot of ups and downs. I definitely don’t get to 30 without some great linemates.” … A restricted free agent in the off-season, Norris’ contract negotiation will be an interesting one to watch. He shares the same agent as Captain Brady Tkachuk and he was only half-joking when he was asked about the hot-streak Norris is on right now. “It’s impressive. He’s hot right now. Every time he touches the puck he it’s got a chance of going in, ”Tkachuk said. “He’s playing awesome for us right. Every time it goes in, ‘Ka-ching,’ so he’s got more cash coming his way.”

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OFF THE GLASS

Joseph is making his presence felt. He has seven points in six games since arriving in the Nick Paul deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline. Trying to get the offense going, Joseph was moved to play with Tkachuk and Norris on Sunday. “I feel like he’s all over the ice, he gives you room and he just skates so well,” Norris said of Joseph. “He’s hard on pucks, he’s got a big body and he fits in well on any line. That’s why he’s so valuable to us. It’s been great playing with him for the last couple of games and he’s got some swagger as well.” Joseph was plus-3 with two shots on net with 20 minutes of ice time … With Ennis injured, expect to see center Chris Tierney return to the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night on the road. Tierney was a healthy scratch for the second straight game … Congratulations to the couple that got engaged on the Zamboni after the second. That’s a first in this rink, we think … Good on Tkachuk for stopping to play a little road hockey with the kids in Westboro neighborhood after the win Sunday.

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THE LAST WORDS

One of the best shots of the day had to be defenseman Nikita Zaitsev’s 200-foot empty-netter to complete the afternoon with 45 seconds left in the game. He showed incredible accuracy from his own goal-line … The Senators were outshot 17-8 in the third period and that didn’t sit well with Smith. “The third was probably one of our sloppier periods. We just gave up a bunch off the rush. We found a way. The effort and the commitment were there, but we just weren’t sharp defensively,” Smith said. “In saying that I think (Thomas) Greiss made some unbelievable saves on us.” … The tribute video to late Senators owner Eugene Melnyk was so well done. There couldn’t have been many dry eyes in that rink because it was so poignant.