The Capitals should have the two stars in the lineup Wednesday.
The Washington Capitals received a mixed bag of updates in their practice on the eve of Game 5. The Capitals look to book their ticket to the second round with a win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. However, there was a minor scare when Alex Ovechkin missed the practice, which Spencer Carbery informed the media was not because of an injury. The good news they received was the possible return of Aliaksei Protas.
The media questioned Carbery about Ovechkin's status, but Tom Gulitti reported that it was only a maintenance day and there were no concerns about his availability.
“Alex Ovechkin did not practice Tuesday after the Capitals had the day off Monday, but Carbery said it was ‘just a maintenance day,' and he had no concern about the forward's availability for Game 5.”
Carbery was also optimistic with the media about Protas and hopes that he will make an immediate impact if he returns for Game 5.
“When he gets back in, you're hoping, and usually it's different for every player, you're hoping that they pick it up as quickly as possible,” Carbery said. “It takes maybe a period, a couple of shifts to get acclimated to the pace of play and physicality and the things that are required in playoff hockey.”
Protas hasn't played since April 4 after suffering a skate cut on his left foot.
Aliaksei Protas will provide immediate support for Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals
It was a breakout regular season for Protas, which ended disappointingly after getting cut with a skate. A skate cut can always be much worse than missing just three weeks, which is something that the Capitals should be thankful for.
Protas was third on the Capitals with 30 goals and tied Pierre-Luc Dubois for third on the team with 66 points. He was also a penalty kill specialist, which will be a welcome sight for Washington after allowing two powerplay goals in the second period of Game 4.
Washington could elect to sit Protas for one more game to ensure he is ready for Round 2, but they'll likely have an urgency to finish the series in Game 5 to avoid playing a crucial Game 6 at the Bell Centre. Montreal's home arena has proven to be one of the best home-ice advantages in the entire playoffs after their raucous behaviour in Games 3 and 4.
