Over the last two seasons, Washington has been one of the healthiest teams in the NHL when it comes to games lost due to injury. Capitals coach Barry Trotz knew his team’s injury luck couldn’t last forever.
This season, the Capitals have already had 62 man-games lost as of Nov. 29 after having just 49 in 2016-17. The hits keep coming, too.
Trotz said forward T.J. Oshie is “very doubtful” to play Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks after having his head slammed into the glass during Monday’s 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks. Oshie, who has an “upper-body” injury, is considered day-to-day.
“I think it’s just reality,” Trotz said. “We lived in an unreal world where we didn’t have a lot of injuries the last two years. This is probably more the normal when you look at everybody’s roster when they come through. You see three or four guys [hurt] and how important they are to their team … I think it’s more the norm.”
The Capitals have been close lately to getting a full lineup back, but have had to deal with injuries throughout the season. For instance, defenseman Matt Niskanen suffered an upper-body injury in the fifth game of the season and missed the next month.
In addition to Niskanen, the following players have been put on injured reserve this season, meaning they have had to miss at least a week: Tyler Graovac, Christian Djoos, and Andre Burakovsky. Brett Connolly (concussion) also missed seven games.
Burakovsky fractured his thumb Oct. 21 and underwent surgery three days later. He returned to practice Tuesday and is nearing a return to games.
Trotz said it’s “very unlikely” Burakovsky suits up against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. But Burakovsky said he feels good and just needs to get his timing back.
“I saw [the doctor] yesterday and everything looks fine,” said Burakovsky, who has missed 19 games. “The X-ray has been looking exactly like we want it to. The bone has been healing proper, so it’s a good sign.”
Wednesday, the Capitals will get Chandler Stephenson back in the lineup after the forward was out Monday with an upper body injury.
Washington has had players step up amid the injuries. Without Niskanen, Djoos and Madison Bowey both grew into their roles and have become better as the season has progressed. Stephenson, too, played his way onto the Capitals’ roster after not initially making the cut during training camp.
Trotz said Stephenson was “probably as good of an example” for making the most out of a new chance.
“For every injury or misfortune that a team has, there’s an opportunity for someone to produce or move up a line and show what they have,” Trotz said. “A lot of guys can do it short-term, but can they do it long-term if you have someone who is out a few weeks? That’s where guys can build resumes.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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