After going two full days without games, the Washington Capitals got a long skate in at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. While they got Tom Wilson back and out of his non-contact jersey, they were missing their hero from Monday night.

Nic Dowd, who had two goals and assisted on the overtime game-winner against the Red Wings, was not at practice. Dowd had a non-COVID illness.

Dowd is the latest player to miss time due to the bug, which kept Sonny Milano out of a game over the weekend.

After the skate, Laviolette was asked if Dowd would play against the Ottawa Senators.

“I hope so,” Laviolette said. “It was an illness, non-COVID. It’s been going around. A couple guys have had it. Hopefully, he’s back.”

When asked if he would fly with the team, Laviolette replied, “Yeah, he’ll be with us.”

Alex Alexeyev, who is working his way back from an injury, will fly with the team to the Canadian capitol, per The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, while Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Martin Fehervary, and TJ Oshie will not.

Dowd has played 33 of 34 games this season. The only game he missed was against the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 17 due to a lower-body injury.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB