Nicklas Backstrom broke his thumb a few weeks back, but like he has done for the Washington Capitals throughout his career, he played through the injury and didn't miss any time. But that thumb is still bothering him, and now he will sit for at least one game with the hopes that the rest helps his thumb heal, according to Brian McNally of the Washington Examiner.
"We just want to protect [Backstrom's] thumb," Boudreau said. "We like him playing every game, but to us, making sure that he's ready and healthy is the most important thing. We didn't want a nagging little injury to keep him out and keep re-injuring it and that. He'll probably be out for a game or two."
The amazing thing about this injury is that this will be the first game that Nicklas Backstrom has missed due to injury in his entire career. His streak of 313 straight games will come to an end tonight. While Backstrom certainly needs to let his his thumb heal, the Capitals won't be able to succeed without him for very long. So hopefully he only stays out of the lineup for a couple games.