The Washington Capitals will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the back half of a back-to-back on Sunday night and they’ll do so without veteran forward TJ Oshie. The Capitals announced the news just before puck drop that Oshie is out with a lower-body injury.
Rookie winger Matthew Phillips will draw back into the lineup in place of Oshie. Phillips played a similar role against the Philadelphia Flyers when Evgeny Kuznetsov came down with an illness before that matchup.
#Caps forward T.J. Oshie (lower body) is out for tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 17, 2023
Oshie played 18:51 of ice time against the Nashville Predators on Saturday and finished the game without any clear sign of injury. The 36 year old scored a goal in the game, his first since returning from injury back on December 9.
Before that December 9 matchup against the New York Rangers, Oshie had not played since November 24 against the Edmonton Oilers when he suffered a scary, upper-body injury after taking a high hit from Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm. The crafty winger was out of the lineup for a total of six games after getting into the first 17 games of the season.
Oshie has four points (2g, 2a) in 21 games this season. He skated on a line with Kuznetsov and Joe Snively against Nashville. Phillips will be a direct swap for Oshie on that line.
Lineys!#CapsCanes | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/FQcXoUNFKr
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 17, 2023
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
