- The Washington Times - Tuesday, April 21, 2015

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Rookies Michael Latta and Andre Burakovsky will be on the ice for the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, with Latta replacing the injured Eric Fehr and Burakovsky stepping in for Curtis Glencross.

Latta played in Game 1 but was a healthy scratch the past two games after Tom Wilson was cleared to play following a concussion. Coach Barry Trotz had previously said that Fehr, who took a check into the boards from Kyle Okposo at 3:11 of the first period in Game 3 on Sunday, would miss at least the Capitals’ next two games.

The bigger adjustment to the lineups is the removal of Glencross for Burakovsky, who has not played at all in the three postseason games. Glencross, acquired in a trade deadline deal with Calgary on March 1, scored four goals in his first seven games in Washington but has not scored a goal in his last 14 games. He has a minus-3 rating during the postseason and was on the ice for Brock Nelson’s empty-netter in Game 1 and two of the Islanders’ first three goals in Game 2.

Burakovsky played in 53 games during the regular season, including the final two with Wilson injured, and had nine goals and 13 assists. The Capitals have kept him around despite the possibility last weekend of playing in Hershey, which held off Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to win the East Division.

“It’s been huge for me to be around in the playoff,” Burakovsky said Monday. “It’s so big different [in] playoff compared to regular season. It’s so much faster. You can just hear the crowd — it’s such big different, too. It think it’s kind of awesome for me to be around team and see how it is. It’s an experience to see, and I think it’s going to help me in the future, too.”

Marcus Johansson, who was cut on his right calf in the first period on Sunday, will remain in the lineup. He was pleased with how the leg felt earlier Tuesday at the team’s morning skate and didn’t see a reason why he wouldn’t play.

Though he didn’t finish out the first period — the injury happened in the final seven minutes — he was able to play the remainder of the game.

“I’m ready to play, and that’s all that matters,” Johansson said. “I want to play tonight and I feel good enough that I can play, and that’s all that matters to me.”

• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide