The Washington Capitals will be without veteran winger TJ Oshie Thursday night.
Oshie did not take part in the team’s morning skate before their matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was then ruled out for the game and Friday’s matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes by head coach Spencer Carbery.
“Osh won’t play tonight,” Carbery said. “Hopefully [he’ll be back soon] but not for this back-to-back.”
According to The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson, Oshie went to see the team doctor while the rest of his teammates jumped on the ice. The 37-year-old winger has needed the services of a chiropractor multiple times this season to be able to dress for games.
Oshie has struggled with reoccurring back issues for several years now and notably underwent a procedure on the problem last spring.
By the time the back-to-back is completed, Oshie will have missed 29 games this season due to the injury. The most games he can play in the 2023-24 regular season will be 53, which is five fewer than last season. He has 22 points (11g, 11a) in 47 games this year.
Carbery spoke about how missing both Oshie and Tom Wilson hurt the Capitals in their most recent stretch after practice on Wednesday.
“When Osh isn’t in our lineup like Willy, you lose two right shots, right wingers, and our right side becomes really thin,” Carbery said. “The way I feel it as a head coach is that you feel it in a lot of different scenarios that those guys play in. They’re Swiss army knife type players. So, what I mean is 4-on-4, penalty kill, situations coming off of power plays, penalty kills, first shift. A defensive zone start against a top line, where you really need a reliable shift.
“Those situations throughout a game, which come up a lot, where you need a Swiss army knife type player, when Osh and Willy aren’t in the lineup, it definitely has a huge impact.”
The Capitals’ game against the Penguins is arguably their biggest of the season thus far. With the race for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference further tightening, the Capitals cannot afford to lose a fourth-straight game.
Outside of the direct Capitals (82 points) and Penguins (79 points) matchup, the New York Islanders (81 points) will also be in action on Thursday night.
