The Washington Capitals seem to be nearing another major boost to their lineup.

According to The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell, Nicklas Backstrom, TJ Oshie, and Conor Sheary all skated at Friday’s “non-contact” practice.

NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti observed that Oshie and Sheary both took line rushes and worked with the top power play unit which indicates they could play Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Gulitti reported that the top two lines looked like this:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Sheary-Eller-Oshie

Defenseman John Carlson and forwards, Carl Hagelin and Garnet Hathaway, all missed practice due to maintenance days according to the team. Nic Dowd was absent due to illness. It’s unclear if it’s COVID-19 related or not.

As for the injured Caps forwards, their return is a long time coming. Oshie suffered a lower-body injury in late October, came back for one game, and suffered another lower-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup since November 20.

COULD IT BE?!?!(! Osh babe in a regular jersey!!!! What a sight for sore eyes!!!! @russianmachine @Tarik_ElBashir pic.twitter.com/KRK3bgjKRO

— Rashelle (@rashelle_wilcox) December 3, 2021

Sheary suffered an injury during warmups of the November 20 Seattle Kraken game and has been out since. The Capitals called it an upper-body injury. Sheary appeared on injured reserve on Friday.

Peter Laviolette says both have been cleared for full contact. The team plays Columbus at 7 PM on Saturday. It’s the second game of a four-game homestand.

Headline image via @rashelle_wilcox