Rasmus Sandin did not join the rest of his Washington Capitals teammates for practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Thursday morning.
According to the team, the 25-year-old defenseman is out with an upper-body injury. Sandin has played in all seven of the Capitals’ games to begin this season.
In the team’s 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, the Swedish blueliner skated a season low 15:01 of ice time. He took just four shifts in the third period, last coming off the ice after a 21-second shift with 7:53 left in regulation.
“He should be okay,” head coach Spencer Carbery said Thursday. “He’s not traveling to Columbus, but we consider him day-to-day, so nothing long-term.”
Sandin is averaging 19:23 of ice time per game this fall and has recorded two assists in his last three games. Last season, he did not miss a single game, notching 30 points (4g, 26a) in 82 appearances.
With Sandin out of action, Declan Chisholm skated on the Capitals’ bottom defense pairing with Trevor van Riemsdyk. Chisholm has averaged 14:42 of ice time in the two games he’s gotten into in October.
Dylan McIlrath was the lone extra defenseman at practice after being activated off injured reserve last weekend.
The Capitals will travel to Columbus and play the Blue Jackets on Friday night. The matchup is the first half of a back-to-back for the Caps, who’ll return home on Saturday to host the Ottawa Senators at Capital One Arena.
