The Washington Capitals were back on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Monday morning after seeing their three-game winning streak end in Montreal against the Canadiens this past weekend.
John Carlson, who has missed all three of the team’s games after the Olympic break, was back skating with his teammates for the first time since the first two practices during the pause in play. Carlson, still in a no-contact jersey, had been skating on his own over the past week due to a lower-body injury, and head coach Spencer Carbery is hopeful about his progress.
“We’ll find out tomorrow [if he’s an option to play], but today was a positive step,” Carbery said. “Him being able to participate in practice was a good sign.”
Carlson, 36, suffered the injury in the team’s final game before the break against the Nashville Predators. He has 46 points (10g, 36a) in 55 games this season and ranks second on the team in average time on ice per game (22:52), behind only Jakob Chychrun (23:41).
While Carlson was back with the rest of the club, the Capitals were without their captain, Alex Ovechkin. According to Carbery, the 40-year-old winger took a maintenance day and is expected to play against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.
“No, no concern [for Ovechkin],” Carbery said.
Ovechkin scored the team’s lone two markers against the Canadiens, pushing him to the team lead in both goals (24) and points (50). He skated 15:30 of ice time in the 6-2 loss and fired six total shots on goal. Ovechkin has yet to miss a game this season, one of only three Caps players who can claim that feat.
The Capitals host the Mammoth at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night and then have a rare three-day break before traveling to play the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon. The team has lost ground in the Metropolitan Division postseason race but remains just two points behind the Bruins for the second wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
