The Montreal Canadiens are down a game and a key player early in their series with the Ottawa Senators.
Montreal Canadiens forward Rene Bourque will be out indefinitely with a concussion.
While Erskine did not have "malicious intent," according to NHL vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan, the defenseman will still miss the next three games after giving Wayne Simmonds a head injury. The Caps were prepared for the immediate aftermath Friday night and are ready for life without Erskine in the near future.
Nicklas Backstrom is back for the Washington Capitals.
Sweat dripped from Nicklas Backstrom's hair just minutes after he stepped off the ice following some tiring battle drills with Washington Capitals teammate Jay Beagle. It was another step in Backstrom's preparation to return to game action after missing almost three months with a concussion.
Washington Capitals players tapped their sticks on the ice as fans cheered when Nicklas Backstrom stepped onto the ice Saturday for his first practice with the team in more than two months. A concussion has sidelined him since early January, and it was clear at that moment and many others that the Caps miss him. Badly.
Nicklas Backstrom keeps taking steps in the right direction in his recovery from a concussion, and now it seems like his return to the Washington Capitals' lineup could be coming closer than many expected.
Nicklas Backstrom doesn't love talking to reporters in big groups. He has a reputation for being quiet. But the 24-year-old didn't seem to mind the cameras Thursday.
Nicklas Backstrom attended the Washington Capitals' casino night Friday and hosted a team Super Bowl party — good signs for his morale if nothing else.
