During pregame warmups, life seemed grand again. TJ Oshie was whacked in the buttocks by Tom Wilson, marking his first game since leaving a November 18 with a dislocated shoulder. The Capitals were finally full strength.
It only lasted one period.
The Washington Capitals made it through the first month and a half of the season without injury. And then Friday night happened. Four players went down the tunnel with injuries in a horrifying first period. TJ Oshie, Lars Eller, and Andre Burakovsky did not return to the game. Tom Wilson was the only player to make it back.
On Saturday, the Capitals announced that Oshie would be out week-to-week while Lars Eller will be out day-to-day with upper body injuries.
The Washington Capitals had a disaster scenario unfold during the first period of their game against the Detroit Red Wings. Four different forwards — TJ Oshie, Lars Eller, Andre Burakovsky, and Tom Wilson — went down the tunnel with injuries. Three of them — Oshie, Eller, and Burakovsky — did not return with what Barry Trotz termed as upper-body injuries. Oshie, Eller, and Burakovsky will all be reevaluated tomorrow.
Gulp.
By Elyse Bailey 4 years ago
In the second period, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin left the game after being tripped to the ice by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. The injury was the only buzzkill of the evening in which the Capitals scored a touchdown (plus an extra point) against their biggest rival.
Several minutes later, Ovechkin would return and go out for a shift with the Capitals power play. In the third period, the Russian machine scored his eighth goal of the season.
Saturday night, TJ Oshie was spitting blood after taking a high stick to the mouth from Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad. Zibanejad was given a four-minute double minor.
In the third period, Caps forward Daniel Winnik blocked a shot with the side of his head.
Winnik writhed in pain on the ice before going down to the locker room. He returned several minutes later and we all assumed he was okay.
He was not. According to Barry Trotz, Winnik lost a part of his ear.
During a late third period power play, Daniel Winnik dove to the ice in an attempt to block a Reilly Smith shot from the point. Winnik was successful, but he paid a price.
The Caps forward blocked the slap shot off the side of his head.
On Thursday, former Capital Wojtek Wolski suffered a serious injury in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
Wolski, who has five goals in 19 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, had to be stretchered off the ice after diving for a loose puck. Wolski collided with Barys’ Vladimir Markelov and crashed headfirst into the boards. Wolski laid on the ice motionless.
Metallurg had an update on Wolski’s condition Friday and it’s not good.
By Chris Cerullo 4 years ago
9:20pm Update: According to Mike Vogel, Chorney went through the concussion protocol and was cleared to return. He was back on the bench for the third period.
Original story: Defenseman Taylor Chorney was forced to leave the Caps’ preseason game in Carolina during the second period after absorbing a rough run behind the net from Hurricanes forward Phillip Di Giuseppe.
Saturday night, the Washington Capitals traveled to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and played the New York Islanders at Webster Bank Arena. Five minutes into the first period, Marcus Johansson suffered a lower body injury.
