Via Washington Post's Greg Schimmel, Semyon Varlamov was the first goaltender off of the ice for the Washington Capitals during Tuesday's morning skate and is expected to start against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Varlamov's goaltending partner, Michal Neuvirth, is feeling better after being clipped in the face by a stick during practice yesterday. When asked about Neuvirth's status, head coach Bruce Boudreau didn't parse words.
When asked during the skate Tuesday about Neuvirth's status, Coach Bruce Boudreau said "Is he out there? OK."
Neuvirth skated in the scratches skate, which means he should sit. Also joining him were Tyler Sloan, D.J. King and John Erskine. Tom Poti told reporters that he is hoping to play for the first time since suffering a concussion December 23. If he does play, Erskine will likely be the healthy scratch.
In other injury news, Matt Bradley did some light work today, but needed help lacing his skates and putting on some of his equipment. Bradley had surgery to repair a broken finger about two weeks ago.