The absence of Mike Green as the Capitals returned to the ice following an off day was curious at best. He took a puck to the chin Saturday night, and with his concussion history, it seemed too much to be a coincidence.
But then coach Bruce Boudreau confirmed Green’s off-day wasn’t related to the puck he took to the face.
“He’s OK. He had a couple bumps and bruises from the last game,” Boudreau said. “We just decided with a couple days of practice still available to us, there’s no sense rushing him.”
Green looked a little less than OK as he was walking around Kettler Capitals Iceplex about a half-hour after Boudreau addressed reporters. He had a severe right-foot limp, and that foot appeared to be wrapped.
Green said he’ll be fine but offered no real commitment when asked about playing Thursday at Edmonton.
“We’ll see,” he said.
His agent, Craig Oster, said in a phone interview that Green twisted his right ankle on the play in which he was hit in the chin with a dump-in from Darren Helm.
“It’s a little bit swollen,” Oster said, “but [Green] thinks it’ll be fine.”
Oster said unless something strange happens, his client should play Thursday in Edmonton.
With John Erskine still yet to be cleared for contact after offseason shoulder surgery, the Caps are recalling defenseman Sean Collins from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, his agent Justin Duberman said in an email. He could practice with the team as early as Tuesday.
• Stephen Whyno can be reached at swhyno@washingtontimes.com.
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