Senators' Spezza remains out

The Ottawa Senators ruled out the return of center Jason Spezza for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference series against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Spezza hasn't played since he underwent back surgery on Feb. 1 for a herniated disc. He practiced with the team before it left for Pittsburgh, but he didn't make the trip.

"I think Jason still has some hurdles to get over before we get to that point with him coming in to say he's ready to play, and us allowing him to play," Senators coach Paul MacLean told the Ottawa Citizen on Wednesday.

Spezza played in five regular-season games before the injury and had five points.

The Senators trail the Penguins 1-0 in the best-of-seven series after a 4-1 loss on Tuesday night.