East Notes: Dubois, Kesselring, Horvat, Nylander

Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois has started skating as he continues to work his way back from abdominal surgery two months ago, reports Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post (Twitter link).  The original recovery timeline for the procedure was three to four months so he’s past the halfway point now.  However, head coach Spencer Carbery quickly mentioned that the 27-year-old won’t return until after the Olympic break next month.  Dubois got off to a slow start before the injury and was held without a point in his first six games but he was a key contributor last season, tallying a career-high 66 points.  He’ll certainly be a welcome addition for Washington for the stretch run.

Elsewhere in the East:

• Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring missed today’s game against Columbus due to a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald (Twitter link). It has been a rough start to the year for the 25-year-old, who is in his first season with Buffalo after coming over from Utah in an offseason trade.  Kesselring has missed more games than he has played due to injury and is still looking for his first point after being held off the scoresheet in his first 16 outings after putting up 29 points just last season.
• Islanders center Bo Horvat skated on his own today, just two days after suffering a lower-body injury, notes Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Head coach Patrick Roy noted that the veteran seems to be doing well but couldn’t provide a timeline for his return.  At a minimum, Horvat will miss the next week, making him IR-eligible should New York need to open up a short-term roster spot.  Horvat, who was named to Canada’s Olympic team this week, has 21 goals and 12 assists in 36 games this season.
• Maple Leafs winger William Nylander will miss his fourth straight game tonight due to a lower-body injury, mentions David Alter of The Hockey News. However, head coach Craig Berube indicated that Nylander is progressing well and the hope is that he could be back on the ice on Monday for practice.  Despite missing seven games due to various injuries this season, Nylander still leads Toronto in scoring with 14 goals and 27 assists in 33 games.