Photo: Patrick Smith
With everything locked up and only days to wait until their first round playoff matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Capitals experienced injury scares at the worst time of the season.
First, Jay Beagle went down after blocking a shot with his left ankle during Saturday’s win over St. Louis. Beagle was scratched for Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, necessitating an emergency recall of Hershey forward Zach Sill. Beagle, however, is set to play Thursday night. Jason Chimera is expected be in the lineup as well after leaving practice for a few minutes the day before because his “mom called.”
But there is one unknown: the status of TJ Oshie.
The first-line right wing was hit in the lower-body with a puck during Wednesday’s practice. He limped to the locker room and did not return. After the skate, Caps head coach Barry Trotz said Oshie got “tangled up” with a teammate and missed the rest of practice because of “precautionary reasons.”
“He’s fine,” Trotz said Wednesday.
Thursday’s lineup, however, remains in doubt. After Oshie’s injury, the Caps made the morning skate before Game One optional. Only 13 skaters participated. None of the members of the usual first line of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Oshie took the ice.
Afterwards, Trotz refused to say whether Oshie would play.
“We’re not going to talk lineup during the playoffs,” Trotz told reporters. “I won’t do that.”
Let the head games begin.
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