ARLINGTON — The Washington Capitals placed forward Richard Panik on long-term injured reserve after he suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s game.
Panik, signed via free agency in the offseason, has played the third-line right wing position alongside Lars Eller and Carl Hagelin.
He collided with defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on this play in the Capitals’ win over the Toronto Maple Leafs:
Jonas Siegenthaler and Richard Panik both leave the ice after colliding into each other in the defensive zone pic.twitter.com/5Tm39GZHdy
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) October 17, 2019
Siegenthaler appeared to take the brunt of the hit, but he was listed as a game-time decision for Friday’s home game against the New York Rangers.
With Panik on LTIR, he must sit out at least 10 games.
Meanwhile, defenseman Michal Kempny will make his season debut Friday after fully recovering from a torn hamstring he suffered last March in a game against the Lightning. Kempny missed the first eight games of the new season as he worked back to full health.
While normally he plays on the top defensive pair alongside John Carlson, coach Todd Reirden said Kempny will start on the third pair with Radko Gudas against the Rangers and might see shifts with Carlson depending on how the game goes.
In a related move, the Capitals recalled forward Travis Boyd and defenseman Martin Fehervary from the Hershey Bears of the AHL.
Fehervary started the season with the Capitals but was sent down when Evgeny Kuznetsov returned from his suspension. If Siegenthaler is unable to play, Fehervary will fill in.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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