Capitals defenseman Martin Fehérváry won’t be sidelined for long with his upper-body injury. After missing the team’s Saturday game against the Predators, the Slovak defenseman is eyeing a return against the Penguins tomorrow and skated in his normal spot on the team’s top pair alongside John Carlson at practice this morning, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson).
Fehérváry sustained the injury early in last Friday’s game against the Islanders, skating just 2:18 before falling awkwardly into the boards and struggling to get to his feet. The 24-year-old has arrived as a legitimate top-four shutdown defender this season, posting the best possession metrics of his career and logging some penalty kill time with good relative results. His offense was never expected to be the calling card of his game, although his five points through 28 games is a bit slower pace than his career 0.22 points per game average.
Other notes from Capitals practice this morning:
- If Fehérváry can return for tomorrow’s game, expect Nick Jensen to sit out as a healthy scratch to create room in the lineup, per the AP’s Stephen Whyno. The arrival of Ethan Bear, who made his Capitals debut Saturday and played over 20 minutes, has created a bit of a roster crunch, especially among the team’s right-shot defenders. Still, this is disappointing news for the 33-year-old, fresh off signing a three-year, $12.15MM extension. He’s yet to score a goal in 34 games this season and has logged just six assists, a sharp decline after notching nearly 30 points last season. His possession metrics have also nosedived after a few seasons of being one of the strong possession-control players in the league, limiting his on-ice value and making the choice to extend him look a tad dicey.
- Carbery issued multiple injury updates after practice as well, calling the latest news on IR-bound forwards Sonny Milano and T.J. Oshie “not positive,” per Johnson. Oshie is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Milano will be out longer on a week-to-week basis with an upper-body injury. The update is arguably a good sign for Oshie, though, signifying he’s getting closer to a return after missing the team’s last seven games. It’s been a tough season for the 37-year-old winger, who’s dealing with his second significant injury absence and has just four points in 21 games. Milano, meanwhile, has already missed nine games with his injury and doesn’t appear close to returning to practice anytime soon. The middle-six skill winger was amidst a down season with eight points in 23 games.
- Netminder Charlie Lindgren is also listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Carbery said. He sat out Saturday’s game against the Predators after leaving in the first period of Friday’s game and will miss at least two more contests. Lindgren, 30, has been one of the most statistically efficient netminders in the league this year, and his .928 SV% is tied with the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman for second in the league among all netminders with at least ten starts.
- Veteran winger Max Pacioretty, now coming off his second Achilles surgery in a matter of months, is expected to make his Capitals debut in the second half of the Capitals’ upcoming back-to-back against the Devils on Wednesday, per Carbery. Pacioretty has been nearing a return for weeks, but Carbery said the Capitals have been trying to position his return without needing him to play in back-to-back contests. The 35-year-old was limited to just 44 out of 164 contests in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons due to Achilles injuries.