RALEIGH, N.C. – Washington Capitals Coach Barry Trotz called forward T.J. Oshie “very questionable” with a lower-body injury for Monday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, waiting until warmups to decide he would play. Oshie had played sparingly in New York the night before, and with a four-day break upcoming and the Capitals nursing a considerable lead atop the Metropolitan Division, letting Oshie take it easy wouldn’t have led to outrage.
Oshie isn’t the only one nursing some sort of ailment, as injuries with varying degrees of seriousness are expected 33 games into a season. But there was Oshie blocking a slap shot late in the second period and looking pained.