Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin participated in the team’s morning skate on Friday, but is a game-time decision against the Minnesota Wild.
The Swedish defenseman did not finish Wednesday’s Capitals-Devils game after absorbing a big hit in the third period from Jonas Siegenthaler and retreating to the locker room.
Carbery had no update after the game and was similarly unclear on Sandin’s status after the morning skate.
Rasmus Sandin skating this morning after leaving during the third period Wednesday versus New Jersey pic.twitter.com/Y6tSnzIZmv
— Katie Adler (@katieEadler) October 27, 2023
“Not sure yet,” Carbery said to reporters, including RMNB’s Katie Adler, at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
Sandin took line rushes and skated on the second defensive pairing with Trevor van Riemsdyk. Hardy Haman Aktell and Lucas Johansen were placed on the extra pairing and took the scratches skate. All of this suggests Sandin will play if he is indeed deemed healthy enough.
Defense pairings at morning skate
Fehervary-Carlson
Sandin-TVR
Alexeyev-Jensen
Haman Aktell-Johansen
Sandin has no points and five shots in the six games he’s suited up in. The 23-year-old rearguard spent all of Training Camp and the first few games of the season skating with John Carlson before being shuffled out of the top pairing. While the Capitals have been out-scored six to three when Sandin’s been on the ice at five-on-five, Carbery believes the Swede is close to a breakthrough.
“Sandy’s playing a lot more prominent role with our club obviously,” Carbery said before Tuesday’s Leafs game. “What that’s enabled him to do is now he’s playing a lot more minutes in a lot more situations — a little bit of penalty kill, a lot more power play, way more five-on-five play against top lines. What I’ve found early, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. He’s right there to really become a difference maker offensively. He’s put himself in a ton of different spots this year, probably got like 12 different clips in four games where he’s right in tight in on the goaltender, and whether he got his shot through or it’s a miss-pass or he missed the net or that. If that gets clicking, his ceiling is very, very high.”
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
