Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green aggravated his groin injury and will miss Saturday's game against the Winnipeg Jets because of it, according to head coach Adam Oates.
"It's just not quite feeling right," Oates said, adding that Green will stay behind in Washington this weekend. "[He] played a couple games, got hit a little bit, it's just not quite right, so we're taking a stap back until he heals, 100 percent."
Green missed three games in February with what was originally called a "lower-body" injury. The 27-year-old suffered from groin problems last season; he missed 41 games and had to undergo abdominal surgery as a result.
"We'll see how he is when we come back," Oates said. "Maybe a couple treatments and he feels that much better. Hard to give you an answer.
"It's obviously concening because of his past history," he continued. "We need to really get this correct."
In other news, Oates said that forward Aaron Volpatti, who the Capitals claimed off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks Thursday, will meet the team in Winnipeg and should make his team debut Saturday afternoon. Volpatti is a natural left wing, and considering that forward Wojtek Wolski was skating in what would likely be Volpatti's spot on the fourth line during practice Friday, the latter is a likely health scratch candidate.
Matt Hendricks is the next forward to try his hand at the first line left-wing position; he skated with Mike Ribeiro and Alex Ovechkin Friday. Oates has tried to play Wolski, Marcus Johansson and Jason Chimera opposite Ovechkin on the top line this season with no long-term results. Oates said Friday that it will be left-wing by committee "until I feel that there's a real guy who can be entrenched there."
Also, despite being pulled during Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Braden Holtby will make his ninth consecutive start against Winnipeg.
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