The Washington Capitals practiced at home on Thursday for the first time since kicking off their first-round series against the New York Rangers and forward Sonny Milano was absent from the skate.
Milano did not practice as he took a “maintenance day” per the Capitals. The 27-year-old winger went without a point in Game One and Two.
“We’ll see tomorrow morning,” head coach Spencer Carbery said post-practice.
The New York native skated the second-fewest minutes among Capitals skaters in Game Two, taking the ice for just 10:58 of the 4-3 loss. His line with Hendrix Lapierre and Max Pacioretty was highly successful at five-on-five in the defeat, posting positive differentials in shot attempts (+10), scoring chances (+4), and high-danger chances (+3).
The two playoff games at Madison Square Garden were his first in the postseason since playing three against the Capitals for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018. The Capitals would win that first-round series in six games and eventually take home the franchise’s first Stanley Cup weeks later. Milano has yet to record his first career playoff point.
Milano did suffer an upper-body injury toward the end of the regular season, leaving a game against the Winnipeg Jets in late March. He would miss the team’s next two games. He also had a long spell out of action earlier in the season, missing over two months with another upper-body injury.
Mike Sgarbossa filled in for Milano on the team’s third line at the skate. Sgarbossa hasn’t featured for the Capitals since an April 7 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators.
