Nick Jensen appears set to make his return to the Washington Capitals’ lineup on Sunday after missing the team’s last five games. The Capitals defenseman suffered a frightening upper-body injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 13, prematurely ending the first period after medical staff stretchered him off the ice.
A check from Lightning forward Michael Eyssimont caught Jensen off balance and sent him flying. The eight-year veteran slammed back-first into the boards and was knocked unconscious, leaving Capitals fans and players alike fearing the worst.
For Jensen, however, the injury and accompanying scene looked worse than they felt.
“The scene was obviously scary,” Jensen said Sunday. “I think it was a lot scarier from the outside looking in. Being told to stay on the ice was what I was being told. I didn’t ask them to bring a stretcher out. That’s a precaution that they do.
“Obviously, when you see a stretcher come out it’s always concerning, so I think it was a little scarier than it appeared to be. Not that it wasn’t a bad scene when anyone goes unconscious. If a stretcher wasn’t required and I was able to get up and walk off the ice, it obviously would have been a great sign to everyone watching, including my family. It was still scary — maybe not as scary as it seemed, but it was still something that I’ve never experienced and my family has never experienced.”
Jensen, somewhat incredibly, did not have to go to the hospital and walked out of Capital One Arena that night.
“There was never really a time after the injury where I was like concerned about being done with hockey. The next day, the symptoms I had weren’t detrimental to my life by any means,” Jensen said. “I felt pretty good, all things considered, and days after that kept improving. The last five or six days I’ve felt really good on the ice.
“Obviously, it was a bad situation, but just something that I’d like to put in the past and heal from it and move on, and that’s what I’m trying to do tonight.”
The hardest part of the process for Jensen was less the actual healing and more watching the Capitals from afar as they qualified for the postseason, lost more defensemen to injury, and went down three games to none against the New York Rangers, all while he’s been out. Fellow backliners Rasmus Sandin, Trevor van Riemsdyk, and Vincent Iorio have all exited the lineup over the last few weeks.
“Yeah, it’s tough to watch when all the guys you battle with all year long are out there giving it their all and it’s not going our way right now,” Jensen said. “You see guys that are falling to injury and stuff like that and you have to watch and sit there. It is tough to watch when you’re not out there with them but hopefully, that’s something I can change tonight and be a difference-maker.”
Not only is Jensen looking to make his return in Game Four as the Capitals face elimination, but Sandin is also set to rejoin the lineup. Both players shed their non-contact jerseys ahead of Game Three on Friday and wore regular practice jerseys at Sunday’s morning skate.
“I’ll confirm with the doctors and the health staff after this and make sure everything’s good,” Jensen said. “But so far the last five or six days I’ve felt every day I was improving and the last couple days have felt really good. That’s where I’m at. Obviously, it’s a team effort in how we approach these things so I’m going to make sure to talk to them and make sure they’re all good with it and that’ll be our approach tonight.”
