Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom took to the ice on Monday morning for a short skate. The last time he was seen doing that was at practice on Jan. 6 in San Jose. Since then concussion symptoms have kept him out of the lineup.
Backstrom wore a red jumpsuit and a baseball cap and did some light stickhandling. But he was on the ice for five minutes before departing. That’s a step forward. The next step will be Backstrom ramping up his heart rate on the ice. But until that happens and he gets cleared for full contact it’s impossible to describe his return as close. At the very least, Backstrom will have more time to rest between Jan. 25 and Jan. 29 as the NHL breaks for the All-Star break.
Washington coach Dale Hunter said Backstrom will remain in the area during the All-Star break so he can work with trainer Greg Smith. Backstrom has been riding an exercise bike as part of an off-ice conditioning program.
“It’s good to see that [Backstrom] is improving,” teammate Marcus Johansson said. “Hopefully he can be back soon – both for his team and for his own sake that he feels good.”
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