Washington Capitals center Travis Boyd is week-to-week with a lower-body injury he sustained in last Tuesday’s preseason game at St. Louis.
Coach Todd Reirden said it “looks like” he won’t be available when the regular season begins Oct. 3.
Boyd was hurt when he blocked a shot late in the game, a 4-0 win over the Blues.
That leaves the door open for newcomer Nic Dowd, who was competing with Boyd for the fourth-line center role vacated by Jay Beagle during the offseason.
It also means another player on the proverbial bubble might make the opening night roster if Boyd starts out on injured reserve. The Capitals have until Oct. 2 to trim down the NHL roster to a maximum of 23 men.
“With how that all plays out, it’s gonna be a little bit more management decision,” Reirden said. “But from our standpoint, we’re definitely looking to add a different player to our mix.”
Meanwhile, there was better news for blueliner Michal Kempny, who was listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Kempny took an elbow to the head from Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo on Tuesday, and it’s believed he suffered a concussion.
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced they would hold a hearing to review the play that injured Kempny, but no punishment has been handed down as of Thursday afternoon.
“It’s unfortunate that that type of stuff happens in the game,” Reirden said. “I saw it as a blow to the head that should be looked at by the league.”
Evgeny Kuznetsov, who briefly left the Blues game when a John Carlson shot hit him in the hand, is at 100 percent.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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