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Just in time: Mike Green looking set to play on Saturday for Caps

Los Angeles Kings v Washington Capitals

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: John Carlson #74 and Mike Green #52 of the Washington Capitals warm up before the game against the Los Angeles Kings at the Verizon Center on February 12, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Greg Fiume

Things are looking up for the Washington Capitals and their injury-addled blue line.

The Caps are currently without Dennis Wideman, Tom Poti, and two-time Norris Trophy nominee Mike Green, but Green is recovering well from his concussion and appears to be ready to play in the team’s final game on Saturday.

CSN Washington’s Ben Raby was at Caps practice this morning as they prepare for their game tonight against Florida, and while Green won’t play tonight, coach Bruce Boudreau sounds positive that Green will get one game in before the playoffs start next week.

“I feel really good,” Green said this morning. “Back to 100 percent [and] ready to go.”

Green has missed 18 straight games and 24 of 26 overall since blocking a shot by Brooks Orpik in a Feb. 6 game against Pittsburgh. Green returned to the Caps lineup for a Feb. 12 game against the Los Angeles Kings and then played two shifts against the Rangers Feb. 25 before he was hit by New York’s Derek Stepan. Green has not played since.

“It will be nice to just get back in a game and get a feel for things,” Green said. “It’s different obviously than practicing, but I’m in shape, ready to go, and expecting to play.”


Without Green in the lineup, the Caps dealt for Wideman at the trade deadline. Wideman has since gone out of the lineup with a hematoma in his leg. Tom Poti has been dealing with nagging injuries for most of the season and a timetable on his return isn’t clear.

Getting Green back and playing is a huge boost to the Caps regardless of what you make of Green’s skills defensively. The Caps have shown this year that their dedication as a team to defense has been a boon to everyone along their blue line and their goaltending corps. Getting Green’s offensive touch back in their lineup in time for the playoffs makes for a huge boost.

With Wideman eventually joining him in the top six (ideally), the chances of there being some big offensive games with the Caps increases greatly. Of course, that could mean those guys are helping fill the net for the Caps or getting lit up on their own defensively. We’ve yet to see those guys on the ice in the same game so if the Caps dedication to defense is tried and true, they can survive having a pair of guys with some legendary defensive miscues in the lineup at the same time. That still doesn’t mean we’re curious to see how it plays out though.