Aliaksei Protas missed the final 15:38 of the Washington Capitals’ 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.
Per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, the 24-year-old forward confirmed postgame that he suffered a skate cut to his foot. Protas could be seen sporting some form of wrap on his left foot during Alex Ovechkin’s locker room goals record celebrations.
The cut appeared to happen as Protas tried to get a shot off in front of the Blackhawks’ net, and defenseman Wyatt Kaiser inadvertently clinked skates with him.
The Capitals did not skate on Saturday ahead of their game against the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon. Head coach Spencer Carbery delivered the last update on Protas after Friday’s win.
“Yeah, [he’s] going to need an evaluation tomorrow, so I’ll know more tomorrow,” Carbery said. “But he is – yeah, I’ll find out tomorrow.”
Protas skated 11:39 of ice time in the 5-3 win, recording two shots on goal. The big Belorussian has been integral to the Capitals’ success this season, recording 66 points (30g, 36a) in 76 games. He ranks third on the team in scoring behind only Alex Ovechkin (68) and Dylan Strome (75).
Protas’s injury is the second related to a skate cut for the Capitals in short succession. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun missed some time during a game against the Florida Panthers in late March after suffering a “significant cut” to his wrist/arm.
