Washington Capitals starting goalie Logan Thompson has missed two straight games as he deals with an upper-body injury, but could be getting closer to a return. Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reported that Thompson was on the ice this morning in what was a “very optional” practice for the Capitals. Per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, it’ll likely take until tomorrow to hear more firm word on Thompson’s availability, as Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t speak to the media.
Should Thompson be nearing a quick return to the ice after his injury, both the Capitals and Hockey Canada, stand to benefit. The Capitals need every standings point they can get their hands on to make a push for one of the Eastern Conference playoff spots, and getting Thompson back between the pipes would greatly help in their efforts to pick up wins. Thompson has a .912 save percentage and 2.46 goals against average in 38 games this season. Canada also stands to benefit if Thompson returns to health, as he’s a contender to be the team’s starter at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy. While Jordan Binnington brought Canada to victory at the 4-Nations Face-Off, he’s performed considerably worse than Thompson in NHL action so far in 2025-26.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Injured Capitals defenseman Matt Roy also skated this morning, despite being moved to injured reserve yesterday. Roy has missed three straight games with a lower-body injury, though he could end up returning to the roster relatively quickly after his mandated week-long stay on IR concludes. Roy has been Washington’s No. 3 defenseman this season, averaging 20:46 time on ice per game, including 2:27 per game on the penalty kill. As is the case with Thompson, getting Roy back quickly would be extremely beneficial as the Capitals look to enter the playoff picture.
- Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan left the team’s victory yesterday as a result of an illness, not as a result of a hit he took in the first period of the game, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Portzline added that the Blue Jackets’ locker room has been somewhat under the weather recently, as Mathieu Olivier played through an illness on Friday. While leaving a game due to an illness is certainly serious, given Monahan’s past injury history, it’s undoubtedly a relief that the veteran center’s absence is likely to be very limited. Monahan has nine goals and 26 points in 50 games this season, and scored 19 goals, 57 points in just 54 games in 2024-25.