More than an hour before the Washington Capitals’ practice Wednesday morning, injured defenseman Brooks Orpik (lower body) was on the Kettler Capitals Iceplex ice with trainer Mark Nemish. It had been a while, as no one had seen Orpik skate even in a private session since Dec. 7, and he hasn’t played in a game since Nov. 10.
Capitals Coach Barry Trotz said Orpik has been on the ice two days this week. On Wednesday, he was joined by John Carlson (lower body) and Jay Beagle (hand), who are also on injured reserve. Orpik wasn’t seen skating with Carlson and Beagle before practice Tuesday.