TJ Oshie misses morning skate due to illness, game-time decision against Hurricanes

TJ Oshie missed the Capitals’ morning skate Thursday in Raleigh.

The top-six forward is the latest Capitals player to miss practice due to illness.

Andre Burakovsky took Oshie’s spot in the lineup while Chandler Stephenson was added to the fourth line.

Caps expected lineup vs. Canes

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Wilson
Hagelin-Kuznetsov-Burakovsky
Vrana-Eller-Connolly
Stephenson-Dowd-Boyd

Djoos-Carlson
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Jensen

Holtby to start

— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) March 28, 2019

Tom Wilson took Oshie’s spot in the middle of the ice on the first-team power-play unit.

Wilson is in Oshie’s PP1 spot. Connolly is in the diamond on PP2.

— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) March 28, 2019

Head coach Todd Reirden told reporters after the skate that Oshie would essentially be a game-time decision.

Last week, Carl Hagelin was held out of a game and Evgeny Kuznetsov missed practice as the bug passed through the Capitals.

“I hope not,” Reirden said Saturday when asked if this illness was something the whole team might go through. “We’re doing everything we can to keep that from happening. Not the best timing for it, but that’s how things go.”

The Capitals can clinch their fifth-straight postseason appearance with a victory.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong