Photo: THN
Defenseman John Carlson left the Washington Capitals’ exhibition game against the Carolina Hurricanes after crashing into the boards in the third period with a Hurricanes skater. He missed over half of the period. His legs got tangled in his skates but skated off, meaning that he was taken off likely for precautionary reasons.
Regarding Carlson .. here’s where he went down. pic.twitter.com/2L3VNKovVE
— Here’s Your Replay 2 ⬇️ (@TheReplayGuy) July 29, 2020
The 30-year-old got down the tunnel on his own.
The team cannot afford to lose Carlson, who led the team and all NHL defensemen with 75 points in 69 regular-season games, as he averaged 24:37 per game during the regular season, the most on the Capitals.
Reirden said John Carlson left the game bc he fell awkwardly, got tangled up, and the team will see how he is doing later tonight/tomorrow. Said the team took extra precaution since it was just exhibition.
— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) July 29, 2020
The Capitals are not in action again until Monday when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning in their round-robin tournament opener (4 PM ET, NBCSN nationally, NBC Sports Washington locally), giving Carlson some time to rest, but the round-robin games are only for seeding, so the team has already clinched the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The tournament is set to begin on Tuesday, August 11.
By Harrison Brown
