The Washington Capitals jumped on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for practice on Wednesday morning. While attendance was light, primarily for maintenance-related reasons, the Caps did see top defenseman Jakob Chychrun skate for a second straight day.
Chychrun has been out of action for the team’s last two games due to illness. He last played against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night. The 27-year-old rearguard has 32 points (15g, 17a) in 45 games this season, skating a team high 23:15 of ice time per game.
With Chychrun out of action, the Capitals have given one game each to their typically extra defensemen, Declan Chisholm and Dylan McIlrath. McIlrath helped spark the team’s comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, throwing a big hit on Jayden Struble and dropping the gloves with Habs enforcer Arber Xhekaj.
While Chychrun did skate, the Capitals were once again without rookie forward Justin Sourdif. The 23-year-old center missed the win against Montreal after suffering an upper-body injury against the Predators in Nashville. Sourdif took a puck to the face in the 3-2 loss.
Connor McMichael dressed as the team’s second-line center against the Canadiens and ended up scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. McMichael played a career high 22:30 of ice time, skating at all strengths.
The Capitals’ next game is at home against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. Head coach Spencer Carbery did not share an update on Sourdif’s status after Wednesday’s practice, but did say that Chychrun and veteran winger Tom Wilson were possibilities to play.
