Logan Thompson day-to-day, Pierre-Luc Dubois nears return

The first sign of trouble came Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning Spencer Carbery still didn't sound worried about his starter.

Tarik El-Bashir

@Tarik_ElBashir

#ALLCAPS Coach Spencer Carbery on @JunksRadio this morning: —Pierre-Luc Dubois is “potentially” going to return Saturday vs. BUF; PLD has missed 5 games with an illness but has resumed skating with the team —On Logan Thompson, who got up slowly after a save last night but stayed in: “They said he was fine to finish the game so…we’ll see where he’s at today.” —On PP (20%, 20th) and PK (80%, 15th), “Our special teams, we’ve got to get to work there. We’ve been working tirelessly on our penalty kill, power play. We’re going to move some units around again, just trying to find some consistency…whether Cole is running it, or Chychrun. Dubois potentially coming back this weekend will change the (PP) mix a little bit. But we are looking to find some improvements on our power play.” —On Ryan Leonard’s recent surge: “What I have appreciated about Leno this year is…even from training camp, he just looks, on the ice, being around, talking to him, he looks like he’s taken and feels like he’s taken another step. And that’s what you want to see from a young player from Year One to Year Two…He’s a little bit more mature, he’s a little bit smarter, he’s a little bit stronger on the puck, he’s a little bit more aware on the ice, all these little things…then you go out and watch him in the first nine games and he’s been a difference maker for us.”

Here's the play he was talking about. Early in the 2nd period of a 5-2 loss to Los Angeles, Thompson made a point-blank stop on Artemi Panarin and got up slow. He spent the rest of the night stretching and flexing his left leg, but he never came out. He finished with 21 saves on 25 shots. Afterward, Carbery said he had no concerns "as of now." A few hours after the radio hit, the team said what everybody watching had figured out.

Sammi Silber 🏒

@sammisilber

Logan Thompson won’t skate today. Day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Caps say.

The timing is about as good as it gets. Washington doesn't play again until Saturday, so Thompson has a few days to heal without missing a start. Honestly, a breather wouldn't hurt anyone. He's lost 3 of his last 4 starts with a 3.58 GAA, which is not the guy who carried this team in net. If the Caps want to be careful and give the Buffalo start to the backup, nobody should freak out. Lower-body injuries on goalies are the ones you don't play through in October.

The better news Wednesday was up front, and a roster move gave it away.

Tarik El-Bashir

@Tarik_ElBashir

UPDATE: Logan Thompson won’t practice today, per the #ALLCAPS. He’s day-to-day with a lower body injury, presumably suffered during last night’s game, which he finished. ALSO: Jonny Brodzinski has been returned to AHL Hershey, which likely bodes well for Dubois’ availability Saturday vs. BUF.

Tarik El-Bashir

@Tarik_ElBashir

#ALLCAPS Coach Spencer Carbery on @JunksRadio this morning: —Pierre-Luc Dubois is “potentially” going to return Saturday vs. BUF; PLD has missed 5 games with an illness but has resumed skating with the team —On Logan Thompson, who got up slowly after a save last night but stayed in: “They said he was fine to finish the game so…we’ll see where he’s at today.” —On PP (20%, 20th) and PK (80%, 15th), “Our special teams, we’ve got to get to work there. We’ve been working tirelessly on our penalty kill, power play. We’re going to move some units around again, just trying to find some consistency…whether Cole is running it, or Chychrun. Dubois potentially coming back this weekend will change the (PP) mix a little bit. But we are looking to find some improvements on our power play.” —On Ryan Leonard’s recent surge: “What I have appreciated about Leno this year is…even from training camp, he just looks, on the ice, being around, talking to him, he looks like he’s taken and feels like he’s taken another step. And that’s what you want to see from a young player from Year One to Year Two…He’s a little bit more mature, he’s a little bit smarter, he’s a little bit stronger on the puck, he’s a little bit more aware on the ice, all these little things…then you go out and watch him in the first nine games and he’s been a difference maker for us.”

Dubois has missed 5 games with an illness. Washington put him on injured reserve, backdated to last week, to open a spot for Jonny Brodzinski. Sending Brodzinski back to Hershey frees that spot again, and teams don't usually do that unless the guy he replaced is close. Dubois had already been skating with the team in a non-contact jersey, and Carbery said the main thing left was conditioning, not the illness. Then Wednesday, he went one step further.

Sammi Silber 🏒

@sammisilber

Pierre-Luc Dubois is skating this morning in a regular jersey. Cleared for contact. Looks like he’s on pace to return Saturday

Getting Dubois back would be big for a team that's struggling to score. Carbery admitted special teams are a problem: the power play sits 20th at 20% and the penalty kill is 15th at 80%, and he's already talking about shuffling the units again. A healthy Dubois gives him another top-6 center to move around. So for Saturday vs. Buffalo, watch 2 things: whether Thompson is back on the ice by Friday, and whether Dubois is in the lineup. Right now, the second one looks a lot more likely.