Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson will be out “long term” after he was hit in the face by a puck last week, coach Peter Laviolette said Tuesday.
The Capitals placed Carlson on injured reserve earlier in the day, meaning that he’d have to miss at least the team’s next two games. But Laviolette told reporters that the 32-year-old would be out longer than that, though did not specify a timetable. Carlson suffered the injury just 55 seconds into the third period of Friday’s win over the Winnipeg Jets and was transported to a local hospital.
Laviolette said Carlson, who was discharged from the hospital on Saturday, was “doing good” and will continue to be looked at by doctors.
“If was two (games) or 7 (days), we’d say ’day-to-day,’ but he’ll be longer than that,” Laviolette said prior to Tuesday’s game against the New York Rangers.
The Capitals have said Carlson will be out “indefinitely.” The team recalled defenseman Lucas Johansen from the AHL to fill Carlson’s roster spot.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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