Despite reports to the contrary, MIke Green did not travel with the team and will not play in the Capitals' regular season finale against the Florida Panthers Saturday.
Green will miss his 20th straight game after leaving February 25's 6-0 loss to the New York Rangers when he took a Derek Stepan elbow to the head. Green, already suffering from a head injury courtesy of a puck to the head February 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, has been skating symptom-free for about three weeks.
It seems almost certain that Green should return next week for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. His return could not come at a better time, considering that fellow defenseman Dennis Wideman will probably miss the first round with a hematoma in his right leg. The Caps, however, haven't played poorly without Green, as they sport a 16-2-1 record in his absence and clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference Friday when the Philadelphia Flyers lost in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres.