Four days off before Saturday night’s game at Buffalo have provided some needed rest and recovery time for the Capitals.
Star left wing Alex Ovechkin remains in Russia with his ailing maternal grandfather, according to general manager George McPhee, who also said there is still no timetable for Ovechkin’s return.
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Forwards Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov were both given the day off from practice Thursday. But defenseman Tom Poti did practice for the first time since suffering a groin injury in a game vs. Pittsburgh on Oct. 16 and will be a game-time decision. Poti’s return would help ease the workload of defenseman Mike Green, who is fourth in the NHL in ice time per game (27:33).
“It feels like I haven’t skated in two weeks,” Poti said. “It’s not 100 percent yet. But it feels way better than it did. Today was my first real practice so we’ll see how it reacts tomorrow.
