The Washington Capitals was without veteran winger TJ Oshie and young forward Aliaksei Protas when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
They were replaced in the lineup by Mike Sgarbossa and Nicolas Aube-Kubel who were healthy scratches for the last three games of the Capitals’ recent five-game trip out west.
Oshie missed the team’s morning skate for what was termed “maintenance” by head coach Spencer Carbery but is now being described as an “upper-body” injury by Capitals PR. Oshie has struggled with reoccurring back issues the entire season and was almost a late scratch for his 1,000th career NHL game last week before ultimately dressing for the big night.
The 37-year-old winger will miss his 25th game this season on Wednesday and will get into less than 60 games for the fourth straight year. Oshie had just come off of injured reserve on March 11 after missing seven games due to injury.
Protas has been dealing with a lower-body injury he suffered late against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 9, blocking a Connor Bedard shot. He played through the injury the next game but then sat out against the Edmonton Oilers on March 13. He has played in the team’s last three games.
Head coach Spencer Carbery has chosen to just slide Sgarbossa and Aube-Kubel into the positions that Oshie and Protas vacated on the team’s first and fourth lines.
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