Head coach Peter Laviolette told the media after the Washington Capitals’ morning skate that right-wing Tom Wilson, who missed it due to a lower-body injury suffered in the second period of the team’s 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, will be a game-time decision against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday (7 PM ET, NBC Sports Washington in-market, ESPN+ out-of-market).
Tom Wilson did not skate this morning after blocking a shot off his right leg Tuesday at Colorado. Coach Peter Laviolette said Wilson is still being evaluated, but when asked if Wilson is out tonight, he said, he’s “a game-time decision.”
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) January 26, 2023
A slapshot by Colorado defenseman Brad Hunt appeared to hit the 28-year-old, who has two goals and three points in seven games this season, close to the foot.
The leg that he was hit on was the opposite one which he had surgery on to repair a torn ACL last May. Wilson missed the first 44 games of the season while recovering from the procedure.
Center Nicklas Backstrom (non-COVID-19 related illness) and right-wing T.J. Oshie (birth of child), who both missed Tuesday’s game, are expected to return vs. Pittsburgh.
Washington will have two days off after Thursday’s game before visiting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
By Harrison Brown