John Carlson Is ‘making Some Steps in the Right Direction’ in His Recovery

Capitals defenseman John Carlson took part in the team's optional practice on Monday and head coach Todd Reirden said he would continue to take his status going forward day-by-day. Having said that, Reirden also sounded hopeful that Carlson was progressing.

"John Carlson was on the ice and we'll continue to take that day-by-day," Reirden said. "He seems to be making some steps in the right direction here."

Carlson was injured in the team's lone exhibition game against the Carolina Hurricanes prior to the round robin. He was tangled up with a Hurricanes player behind the goal line, fell and skated off to the bench under his own power. He did not play the remainder of the game, nor did he appear in any of the team's three round-robin games which, at the time, seemed like just a precaution. While the round robin games were not meaningless, they ultimately had no bearing on the team's postseason chances as Washington had already qualified as one of the top four teams in the conference. Now that we are into the playoffs, however, every game is incredibly important. Should Carlson miss any time, that will show his missing the round robin was not a precaution and he is dealing with an injury more serious than was previously thought.

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If Carlson cannot play in Game 1 on Wednesday, he would be replaced by either Radko Gudas or Martin Fehervary. Gudas is a right shot, like Carlson, but he gave up a bad turnover in the round robin game against Philadelphia. Fehervary, meanwhile, is a left shot, but played on the right side against Boston and was impressive with a game-high seven hits. His minutes were not sheltered either so he may well be the leader to get into the lineup if needed.

Game 1 between the Caps and Islanders is on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

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