The Washington Capitals might have their center depth restored the next time they take the ice at Capital One Arena.
After Pierre-Luc Dubois returned to full participation in Wednesday morning’s practice for the first time since falling ill, the Capitals shared a positive update on Justin Sourdif. The 24-year-old forward skated on his own for the first time since he also fell ill last week.
Sourdif missed the past two games against the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings due to his illness. Before leaving the lineup, he played a season-high 16:05 of ice time in the Capitals’ 5-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
With Dubois out, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery had been playing Sourdif between Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson. Veteran Boone Jenner then filled the void when both centers left the lineup.
Before the illnesses, Carbery had mostly used Sourdif with Jenner and a rotating third forward on the team’s fourth line. With Sourdif still learning the ins and outs of playing center at the NHL level, Jenner was taking the lead in the faceoff circle for the line, where he has won an impressive 56.8 percent of his draws this year.
Sourdif, who has scored one goal in seven games this season, is also one of Washington’s top penalty-killing forwards. He ranks fifth among the team’s forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (0:45).
The Capitals next play on Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres. While they will almost certainly get Dubois back into the fold, they’ll be hoping Sourdif joins him.
