Pierre-Luc Dubois was not on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Thursday. Dubois missed a second consecutive day of practice for the Washington Capitals after head coach Spencer Carbery said Wednesday that it was possible the veteran centerman could skate for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury in New York.
Dubois will likely sit out for a second game when the Capitals host the Minnesota Wild on Friday night. Carbery had little news on Dubois’ status after Thursday’s skate.
“No update today, unfortunately,” Carbery said.
Through three games this season, Dubois has yet to record a point. The 27-year-old pivot has averaged 17:22 of ice time, manning the team’s shutdown second line. With him on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals have outscored their opposition 3-1.
The origin of Dubois’ injury is unclear, but he left the ice with 6:44 left in the third period on Sunday. Carbery initially labeled Dubois out day-to-day with the ailment, relaying that it’s “not a long-term thing with Dubie.”
The game against the Lightning on Tuesday night was the first Dubois had missed since the Winnipeg Jets’ final game of the 2022-23 regular season. After coming to DC last summer via a trade with the LA Kings, he played in all 82 games for the Capitals last year, recording a career high 66 points (20g, 46a).
With Dubois out of the lineup, Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre will likely remain down the center in the Capitals’ middle-six forward group.
Carbery also confirmed that defenseman Dylan McIlrath will soon be coming off injured reserve and be available to dress for the first time this season after suffering an injury in the team’s preseason finale. As of Thursday afternoon, McIlrath is still listed as on injured reserve on the NHL’s media site.
The Capitals waived defender Vincent Iorio on Wednesday to make room for McIlrath on the 23-man roster, and Iorio was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
After playing the Wild, the Capitals will remain home for two more games against the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken. The four-game homestand is tied for their longest of the season with a four-game stretch at the end of next month and another in March.
