The Washington Capitals face a 3-2 series hole against the Florida Panthers and will play in its first elimination game of the playoffs during Game Six, Friday night.
Behind-the-scenes, RMNB learned exclusively that Tom Wilson skated on Thursday afternoon shortly after the Capitals’ team plane landed back in DC. The skate was believed to be Wilson’s first since suffering a lower-body injury early during Game One. The Capitals said it was a part of Wilson’s rehab.
Wilson took the ice again on Friday but did not join his teammates on the ice.
NBC Sports Washington’s Andrew Gillis reported that Wilson did a few skating drills and left the ice shortly before the team took to the rink for its morning skate.
#Caps forward Tom Wilson was on the ice at MedStar this morning before practice, going through a few skating drills. He left the ice a little while ago. Game 6 is tonight at home.
The Capitals practice as a team at 10:30, and we should get a better idea of his status then.
— Andrew Gillis (@Andrew_Gillis70) May 13, 2022
Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette later declared Wilson out for Game Six per The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir.
“It’s good to see him out there,” Laviolette said.
Without Wilson, the Capitals will keep the same lines, which include Connor McMichael in the lineup and Conor Sheary skating on the first line.
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Sheary
Johansson-Backstrom-Oshie
McMichael-Eller-Mantha
Larsson-Dowd-Hathaway
Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TvR-Schultz
Ilya Samsonov will start his fourth straight game and make his fifth straight appearance in the series.
The Capitals will look to win their first game since Game Three. After having leads in Games Four and Five, the Capitals collapsed at the end of those games. The Capitals must win the next two to advance to the second round.
