Center Lars Eller, who missed the Washington Capitals’ last game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, will play in the game against the St. Louis Blues.
Eller, who is dealing with an undisclosed upper body injury, was initially ruled as day-to-day for his recovery time frame.
He said the injury has been lingering for quite some time.
“It’s been a little on and off over the years,” Eller said. “But nothing that, most of the time, didn’t keep me from playing. But last game was just something I couldn’t push through.”
So far this season, he has two goals in 17 games. As a member of the Montreal Canadiens, a team he spent six seasons with, Eller averaged 12 goals and 26 points a season.
Had Eller not been able to participate against the St. Louis Blues, defenseman Nate Schmidt may have been used as a forward. Schmidt took some reps and drills as a forward in Eller’s absence at practice earlier this week.
The Capitals were forced to send forward Paul Carey back to the AHL in Hershey for cap space-related concerns. Carey was brought up during the absences of Eller and forward T.J. Oshie and played in the game against the Blue Jackets.
Oshie remains out of the lineup with an upper body injury and is believed to be week-to-week.
One concern with Eller’s injury is that he has been dealing with the issue for an extended period of time. He appeared to be confident that, with the right management, it was an injury he could continue to play through.
“I have to continue to manage it,” Eller said. “I do a lot of [preparation] in order to make it not comeback and get worse again. But, right now, I’m feeling good.”
The Capitals (11-5-2) take on the St. Louis Blues (11-6-3) Wednesday night.
• Tommy Chalk can be reached at tchalk@washingtontimes.com.
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