The Washington Capitals are slowly getting their full lineup back together.
After missing two games with an upper-body injury, rookie forward Justin Sourdif returned to the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Friday morning. The 23-year-old centerman wore a light blue, no-contact jersey, but was not sporting any extra protection on his helmet after taking a puck to the face against the Nashville Predators last weekend.
Sourdif suffered his injury early in the second period of the Capitals’ 3-2 loss to the Predators, playing just 6:16 of ice time before leaving the game. Sourdif’s face was already sore coming into the game after he was bloodied by a collision in practice with Connor McMichael just days prior.
While Friday’s skate was a positive step in Sourdif’s path back into the lineup, head coach Spencer Carbery ruled him out of Saturday night’s game against the Florida Panthers. The Caps have gone 1-1 without Sourdif in their last two games.
“Yeah, Sourdif will not play,” Carbery said. “He’s starting to continue his progression, so he gets involved in some drills today in a non-contact [jersey].”
Carbery immediately ruled Sourdif out, but did not do the same for veteran winger Tom Wilson, saying “we’ll see” when directly asked about the alternate captain’s potential availability. Wilson, who took contact at a skate for a third straight day, has missed six games due to the lower-body injury he suffered against the Blackhawks on January 3.
Defenseman Jakob Chychrun was also absent from the skate due to “personal reasons,” unrelated to any injury or illness. Chychrun is likely on baby watch as his wife, Olivia, is expecting the couple’s first child.
The Capitals will host the Panthers on Saturday before embarking on a six-game road trip that won’t see them return to Capital One Arena until the final day of the month.
