Brooks Laich’s day against the Boston Bruins ended earlier after a collision with Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. Laich’s was listed as having a knee sprain and while he tried to get back into the game, he stayed out of action leaving Caps fans worried that they’d be without their top two centers.
Nerves got a bit edgier in Washington this morning when Laich sat out of Caps practice. Is there reason to be worried? Caps coach Dale Hunter doesn’t think so as he told reporters this morning that his injury was “nothing major” and that Laich is “day-to-day.” Hunter also said that Laich was walking around without a problem and would see a doctor later today.
If the Caps have to go without Laich and Nicklas Backstrom, Chuck Gormley of CSNWashington.com reports that their top four centers will be Marcus Johansson, Mathieu Perreault, Jeff Halpern, and Keith Aucoin. That’s a little less than impressive and gives the Caps definitive worries up the middle.
Laich is an important penalty killer and defensive forward with some scoring touch while Backstrom, who is still out with a concussion, is their top playmaker and point producer. We’ll keep you posted on Laich’s status as it’s updated here at PHT.