The Washington Capitals were right back on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Saturday morning after a dominant 5-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. They’ll now look to extend their early-season winning streak to five games on Sunday afternoon against the Vancouver Canucks.
Unfortunately, the Caps will still be without top-six centerman Pierre-Luc Dubois when the Canucks visit Capital One Arena, as head coach Spencer Carbery ruled the veteran pivot out of the game after practice. Dubois skated in a no-contact jersey for a second straight day.
“Well, it won’t be tomorrow for sure,” Carbery said. “At some point, he’s going to have to get into a regular jersey, so hopefully Monday, and then we’ll see where it goes, but too early to tell.”
Dubois suffered a lower-body injury against the New York Rangers last weekend and subsequently missed the Capitals’ two wins against the Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was back skating for the first time at the club’s morning skate on Friday.
Through three games this season, Dubois has yet to record a point. The 27-year-old pivot has averaged 17:22 of ice time, manning the team’s shutdown second line. In his absence, Connor McMichael has moved down the middle, playing between Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson.
The Capitals will have one more home game against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, followed by two days off. They’ll then travel to Columbus to play the Blue Jackets. Dubois had two points, both assists, in four games against his former team last season.
