van Riemsdyk, who has been sidelined with a left patella fracture since November 16th, had been limited to skating on his own, but joined his teammates for the first time this morning. The 23-year-old is just over three months into a 3-4 month timetable, so it appears as if he is progressing well.
Ovechkin left practice on Tuesday with an upper-body injury, but was back on the ice this morning and he confirmed that he will be in the lineup vs. the Islanders. Ovi will skate with Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson. Ovechkin is averaging 4.65 shots per game and has18 points (9G / 9A) in 20 games.
There is no word on the severity of Ovechkin’s upper-body injury, but it sounds like it is not very serious and that it should no effect him in tomorrow’s game vs. the Islanders. He has just one goal and one assist in his last five games.
van Riemsdyk will have surgery on Thursday to repair the fractured knee cap that he suffered on Sunday vs. Dallas. This is a tough break for the young defensemen who had a nice start to his NHL career. He will be back in mid-February, early March.
Before his injury the big young prospect was playing on the top line with Ovechkin and Backstrom. He has 3 points in 6 games and could be someone to keep an eye on in keeper leagues
Wilson had been skating on the top-line recently, but with him out the Capitals will turn to Jay Beagle to skate alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Wilson is day-to-day and hopes to be back in the lineup for either Friday or Saturday.
Wilson suffered a lower-body injury in the Capitals win over the Hurricanes on Saturday. He was skating on the Capitals’ top-line, a spot that is now being occupied by Jay Beagle with Wilson not skating. Consider him day-to-day.
McIlrath played 8:02 and record nine penalty minutes, two hits and three blocked shots in his season debut on Monday. With Kevin Klein ready to return to the lineup tonight, McIlrath had to go back to Hartford.
The second year forward played a season-high 15:04 and scored one goal with one assist against Arizona on Sunday. This morning he is skating with Alex Ovehckin and Nicklas Backstrom, so it looks like he will be taking on a larger offensive role. Head coach Barry Trotz expressed his interest in having this trio together in the preseason and it has materialized.
McIlrath, 22, has not record a point in eight games with Hartford this season. He has been recalled after the Rangers lost Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Klein to injuries on Saturday night. McIlrath has not recorded a point in two career NHL games.
Wilson was originally listed as a game-time decision, but he will be in the lineup with Eric Fehr coming out of the lineup. He will start on the fourth line, but there was some chatter in the preseason that the Capitals were thinking about having him playing on the top line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin, so he might be someone to keep an eye on.
Wilson, 20, was recently recalled from his conditioning stint with Hershey and rotated in on the Capitals fourth line in the morning skate. Head coach Barry Trotz called him a game-time decision, which likely means he will take warmups and a decision will be made then. If he plays, Eric Fehr will come out.
Wilson, 20, missed the start of the season after undergoing offseason ankle surgery. Wilson had 10 points (3G / 7A) in 82 games with the Capitals last season and failed to record a point in two games while he was getting back up to speed in Hershey.
Wilson is nearly ready to return after having offseason ankle surgery. He will head to the Hershey Bears where he should practice throughout the week and likely play this weekend. He should be back with the Capitals really soon after playing 82 games with them in his rookie season.
van Riemsdyk, 23, is the brother of Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk. Trevor will make his debut tonight with Niklas Hjalmarsson as his D partner. He spent the last three years at the University of New Hampshire and posted four goals and 19 assists (23 points) in 26 games last season.
This is the first time that Ovechkin has skated since getting injured. The injury is believed to be minor so his participation in practice this morning is a positive sign that he will be back in tonight. We will get official word when it is made available.
Ovechkin will miss his second straight game tonight. The Capitals are having a hard time scoring goals in 2014 and missing the NHL's leading scorer will certainly hurt their lineup.
The Capitals do not play until Friday but his absence at practice today is not a good sign for Ovi. Monitor his status during Firday's morning skate, if he is available for the skate there is a good chance that he will be in the lineup tomorrow.
Ovechkin was listed as a game-time decision, but he will miss his third game of the season tonight vs. Ottawa. Troy Brouwer will move up to the top-line with Ovi out. Monitor his status prior to Friday's game in New Jersey.
There is no word when Ovechkin suffered the lower-body injury but he will be a gametime decision tonight. The Capitals have lost five straight so missing Ovechkin vs. the surging Senators would be troubling. Monitor Ovi's status leading up to puck-drop.
