Brooks Orpik suffered what looked like a pretty concerning knee injury late in Monday’s game against the New York Islanders. If you missed it, you can view it below:
Capitals coach Barry Trotz said after the game that the injury is “not as bad as it looked,” but that’s not the same as saying that he’s fine.
The 34-year-old defenseman will undergo treatment over the next couple of days to see how his knee reacts to it. He hasn’t ruled out playing in the Winter Classic on Thursday, but it sounds like the odds are against him, per NHL.com writer Dan Rosen.
Orpik participated in the first Winter Classic back in 2008 when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He participated in a second Winter Classic in 2011 and a third NHL outdoor game as part of the 2014 Stadium Series.
He has eight assists and a plus-eight rating in 36 contests in 2014-15. The blueliner also ranks third on the team with an average of 21:58 minutes per contest.