The Washington Capitals could get a pair of important forwards back Saturday, while two other key absences continue to reshape the lineup heading into their matchup with the Buffalo Sabres.
At Friday morning’s practice, center Pierre-Luc Dubois and center Justin Sourdif both took part fully after missing time with illness. Dubois has been out five games, while Sourdif has missed two. Dubois had already begun skating in a non-contact jersey on Wednesday, and his return now looks likely for Saturday.
Sourdif’s status is a little less certain, though the club is hopeful he’ll be available before puck drop.
Before getting sick, Dubois was humming. He posted four points, with one goal and three assists, in his first four games and logged an average of 17:06 per night. Jonny Brodzinski filled in during his absence, but has since been loaned back to the Hershey Bears.
Sourdif had one goal in seven games before falling ill and has earned praise as a penalty killer. He logged a career-high 16:05 in the Capitals’ win over the Montreal Canadiens and has mostly skated on the fourth line with Boone Jenner and a rotating third forward. He has also been strong at the faceoff dot, winning 56.8 percent of his draws.
The blue line, meanwhile, took a hit with Vincent Desharnais now set to miss four to six weeks after a successful appendectomy on Thursday. He was hospitalized Wednesday night after suddenly showing concerning symptoms and then taken for emergency surgery to have his appendix removed.
Head coach Spencer Carbery said the situation was “totally out of the blue: no symptoms, just all of a sudden…needs to get his appendix removed,” and called it “unfortunate” and a “big hole to fill”.
Desharnais has appeared in nine games this season, collecting three assists, 18 blocked shots, 22 hits, and a team-leading plus-9 rating. He has averaged a career-high 19:24 of ice time per game, including 3:34 on the penalty kill, and has been a steady defensive presence in every situation. His work alongside Cole Hutson has stood out, and with Matt Roy back in the lineup, the pairings are expected to be:
Jakob Cychrun-Roy
Cole Hutson-Dylan McIlrath
The Capitals may also dip back into the AHL for extra defensive help. Justin Holl is one option after filling in during Roy’s absence. Holl had two goals in three games to open the season before returning to Hershey.
Goaltender Logan Thompson is also day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury in the loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He did not practice Friday morning, and Carbery said Charlie Lindgren will likely start Saturday against Buffalo.
If Thompson can’t dress as backup, Washington would need to recall Mitch Gibson from Hershey. He’s the only eligible minor-league goalie in the organization and has gone 1-1-0 this season with an .881 save percentage and a 3.50 goals-against average.
The Capitals are still waiting on a few moving parts, but Saturday could bring some relief. After a 5-2 loss to the Kings in which they gave up unanswered goals, getting Dubois back would be especially important as they try to respond against an Eastern Conference opponent.
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Capitals Defense Suddenly Faces A Tough Test Without Vincent Desharnais
A quick medical absence has turned into an immediate lineup puzzle for Washington, with Vincent Desharnais set to miss the next stretch after undergoing a successful appendectomy. The Capitals are expected to place him on injured reserve, which will open a roster spot but also remove a defenseman who had settled into a regular role on the blue line.
The response came fast, with Washington shuffling its pairings to cover the gap. Timothy Liljegren has been moved onto Desharnais usual spot with Martin Fehervary, while Dylan McIlrath has been inserted into Liljegrens previous role, leaving the Capitals to see how the reworked defense holds up in the coming weeks. [Read more 🡒]
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For Washington, the more important conversation is not about a rough first stretch, but about how long the captain will keep doing this at all. If this is in fact the final NHL season of a player who has defined consistency, production and star power for so long, the focus shifts quickly from any brief quiet spell to every game that follows, because there may not be many left. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Suddenly Have A Three-Player Return Race To Watch
The Capitals got a little more clarity on three players they are tracking closely, with Rasmus Sandin, Logan Thompson and Justin Sourdif all making some kind of forward movement in their recoveries. Sandin is continuing his rehab from ACL surgery and skating on his own, while Thompson has been back on the ice as he deals with a lower-body injury. Sourdif, meanwhile, has returned to skating after missing time because of an illness, which at least gives Washington a better sense of where each player stands.
For a team trying to manage its lineup day by day, the next step is less about bold projections and more about watching how each player responds as the ramp-up continues. Sandins recovery remains the longest-term situation, Thompsons status is still fluid, and Sourdif is trying to rebuild his rhythm after the illness interrupted his momentum. The Capitals will keep monitoring all three as they work toward game action, and the order in which they come back could matter just as much as the fact that they are all inching in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]