BALLSTON, Va. - The Washington Capitals practiced Friday at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in preparation for Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators. Only two players did not participate. One was Mike Green, who skated before practice for the sixth time in seven days as he continues to recover from a strained right groin muscle. The other was a bit more surprising.
Roman Hamrlik did not practice and, according to a team spokesman, is listed as "day-to-day." After practice, head coach Dale Hunter said that Hamrlik is suffering a lower-body injury.
"It's nothing serious," Hunter said. "Just give him a day off today and we'll see about it."
Hunter scratched Hamrlik in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in what was supposedly his first healthy scratch in over three and a half years. Where things get confusing is that Hunter said after Thursday's morning skate that all of Washington's defensemen, minus Green, were healthy, but he said Friday that Hamrlik was in fact the opposite prior to Thursday's game, hence the scratch.
Hamrik is a team-worst minus-10 this season and is on pace for the lowest point total of his almost-two decade career.