Capitals’ Justin Sourdif out day-to-day, won’t play against Canadiens

It looks like a young winger might be out of action longer than expected.

When speaking to the media, Washington Capitals head coach announced that forward Justin Sourdif will not be in the lineup on Tuesday night, when the team faces the Montreal Canadiens. Carbery mentioned that Sourdif is out day-to-day as well.

Sourdif suffered an upper-body injury this past Sunday in a game against the Nashville Predators. Early in the second period, while forechecking in the Nashville zone, Sourdif was clipped in the face by a puck that ricocheted. He ended up not returning. He registered 6:17 of ice time across eight shifts, posting a shot on goal while delivering a hit.

The Capitals went on to lose the game, 3-2.

The 23-year-old has missed just one other game this season thanks to a lower-body injury, even though he was initially expected to miss an extended period of time.

Sourdif is playing well in his first full year in the NHL. Though he played a couple of games with the Florida Panthers over the previous two seasons, Sourdif has found a solid home in Washington. In 45 games, he has scored nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points, including an impressive five-point performance against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 5. The Richmond, B.C. native has a plus/minus of +15 while averaging around 14 minutes of ice time per game.

Sourdif is in the first year of his two-year contract extension that he signed with the Caps in late June. The deal carries a cap hit of $825,000. He was traded to Washington by the Panthers just days before. He was part of a deal that saw a second-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft and a sixth-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft go back to Florida.

In 48 career NHL games, Sourdif has scored 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points.

The Capitals (23-17-6) are fourth in the Metropolitan Division, just outside of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.