John Carlson did not practice with the Capitals on Tuesday morning.
The 36-year-old blueliner skated on his own in a light blue, no-contact jersey before his teammates jumped on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Carlson, who hasn’t been a full participant in practice since early last week, suffered a lower-body injury in the team’s final game before the Olympic break against the Nashville Predators.
Carlson has 46 points (10g, 36a) in 55 games this season, missing four outings earlier in the season with two separate upper-body injuries. Head coach Spencer Carbery has not yet ruled him out of the team’s return game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.
“He’s day-to-day,” Carbery said Tuesday. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow, and then we’ll assess for tomorrow.”
Carlson skated with the team at their first two practices during the break, but then began sitting out for what the team called “maintenance-related” issues. He started skating again in a no-contact sweater on Sunday, under the supervision of head athletic trainer Jason Serbus.
If Carlson cannot play against Philadelphia, Declan Chisholm will likely dress in his place. Chisholm lined up on a pairing with Rasmus Sandin at Tuesday’s skate.
Martin Fehervary, back from representing Slovakia at the Olympics, should be ready to go against the Flyers, so the Capitals will not be missing another defenseman.
