ARLINGTON, Va. — Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz said he expects center Nicklas Backstrom to play Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday night despite suffering an upper-body injury in Game 5 on Saturday.
Trotz said Backstrom took a maintenance day Sunday and the team will see where he is on game day.
Backstrom, 30, has played in 107 career playoff games and has tallied 88 points (29 goals, 59 assists) in the postseason.
He left the Capitals’ Game 5 win almost seven minutes into the third period and did not return to the ice.
If Backstrom were ruled out, the Capitals would be missing three of their usual top six forwards for Game 6. Trotz said Andre Burakovsky will not travel to Pittsburgh with the team while he is still recovering from an upper-body injury, and Tom Wilson will serve the final game of his three-game suspension on Monday.
Trotz also said John Carlson, who took a high hit in the final minutes of Game 5 and was medically evaluated, is “fine” and also expected to play.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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