During Game Five of the Capitals second round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nicklas Backstrom appeared to block a shot and injured his right hand. He has been spotted several times since with his hand bandaged.
Backstrom has yet to play since his upper-body injury, though he has puck handled ahead of a Capitals practice. The Caps didn’t hold any practice on Saturday, but head coach Barry Trotz told the media that Backstrom has been working out off-ice.
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When asked by reporters whether he was optimistic about Backstrom returning to face Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Final, Trotz agreed, “optimistic, yeah.”
Trotz is not overly concerned about Backstrom missing time.
“I’m not worried about Nick Backstrom,” Trotz said. “Nicky is one of those guys that you can throw him in, and he’s not going to miss a beat.”
Backstrom traveled with the team to Tampa Bay, but is still considered day-to-day. There was no indication from Trotz whether or not he would play in Game Two on Sunday. The Capitals lead the series 1-0, following their 4-2 win over the Lightning in Game One.
Headline Image: Cara Bahniuk
