The Washington Capitals have lost three of their last four games but things may be getting better in the very near term.
TJ Oshie’s upper body injury, which a source confirmed to RMNB was a separated left shoulder, appears to be mostly healed. Oshie skated with no limitations during Tuesday’s practice.
Oshie taking regular shift with Backstrom and Johansson pic.twitter.com/MVcQ0dqbaL
— Jill Sorenson (@JillCSN) December 6, 2016
Here are Barry Trotz’s new lines from CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Tarik El-Bashir.
New #Caps lines and pairs: 8-92-14; 90-19-77; 10/65-20-13; and 26-83-43. Bodes well for Oshie, perhaps less so for Burakovsky.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) December 6, 2016
Barry Trotz promoted the ice cold Justin Williams to the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, while talented winger Andre Burakovsky may be a scratch Wednesday night.
But the big news was Oshie, who hasn’t played since November 18. Oshie injured his left shoulder while delivering a hit to a Detroit Red Wings player in the neutral zone.
Oshie was placed on the second line along with Swedes Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom. Oshie also returned to his regular spot on the team’s first unit power play.
According to El-Bashir, Oshie put in extra time after practice and the Caps winger believes he’s ready to play again. This is the second straight day Oshie’s participated in contact drills with teammates.
Oshie is really hammering his shots today. More than we've seen since the injury. Taking a little extra work, too.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) December 6, 2016
Oshie says today was his first full practice. Took contact yesterday and today. Says he feels great but decision is Trotz's to make.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) December 6, 2016
Trotz will make a decision Wednesday morning, but it appears Oshie may return against the Boston Bruins tomorrow.
