The Washington Capitals suffered a key blow in their 2011 NHL Playofs Game 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday when defenseman John Carlson suffered an injury with five minutes left to go in the second period. He only returned for a short spell and otherwise did not play.
Still, on Saturday, coach Bruce Boudreau said he will probably play in Game 2 on Sunday. Via Brian McNally of the Washington Examiner:
Bruce Boudreau says "pretty good chance" D John Carlson plays in Game 2 but not 100 percent sure
The Capitals already are dealing with injuries to Dennis Wideman and Tom Poti along the blue line, so it's possible that Hershey callup Sean Collins ends up getting game action in a crucial spot if Carlson cannot play. Losing Carlson would be a huge blow, as Carlson has emerged as the team's top defensemen and is a huge part of their offense as well.