The Washington Capitals were still without two of their top forwards at practice on Sunday morning.
Neither Tom Wilson nor Aliaksei Protas took to the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, as they both continue to suffer from their respective lower-body injuries. The Capitals provided an update on the pair as the Caps prepare to face the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
According to the team, Wilson is receiving further evaluation from medical staff on Sunday, and the Capitals should have a better indication of his return timeframe on Monday. Meanwhile, Protas is now listed as out “day-to-day.”
Outside of the two primary absences, the Capitals also skated sans forward Justin Sourdif and defenseman Jakob Chychrun, both out for maintenance. Sourdif played 20:51 of ice time against the Blackhawks, firing four shots on goal. Chychrun played a team-high 24:58 of the game, taking two minor penalties and throwing three hits.
Carbery said after practice that he wasn’t sure yet if the team would need to call someone up to replace Wilson and Protas.
“I’ll talk to (general manager) Chris (Patrick) later today about that,” he said. “Willy’s being further evaluated, so we’ll have an update on him, not today. Protas day-to-day So we’ll see where he’s at. But yeah, I don’t know the answer to that yet. I’ll talk to Chris after practice.”
Wilson was injured early in Washington’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, when his right leg got caught underneath him after a hit from defenseman Connor Murphy. The Capitals listed his return to the game as questionable, but he did not take another shift after limping back to the locker room.
Carbery gave the first indication postgame that the club wasn’t overly concerned about Wilson’s status, saying he believed the injury wasn’t “too bad.” Wilson, the Capitals’ leading scorer with 42 points (22g, 20a) in 41 games, played just 5:55 of ice time before getting hurt.
Protas did not dress at all on Saturday, missing his first game of the season with his injury. He crashed skates-first into the boards in the Capitals’ 4-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators last Thursday. While he was able to finish that game and score a goal, Protas was replaced in the team’s lineup by Sonny Milano against the Blackhawks.
The 24-year-old Belarusian ranks fourth on the Capitals in scoring with 31 points (16g, 15a) in 41 games, and only Wilson (22) has scored more goals than him.
Washington will be home for its next two games, Monday against the Ducks and Wednesday against the Dallas Stars.
