So a Capitals player is going on injured reserve, according to Caps coach Bruce Boudreau, but since the NHL doesn’t make its teams announce that kind of thing – unlike the other professional sports leagues in this country – we’ll have to play the waiting game.
What we know: Mathieu Perreault, a center, has been recalled from AHL Hershey. None of Alex Ovechkin, Mike Knuble, Alex Semin or Nicklas Backstrom took part in the morning skate. Defensemen Tom Poti (groin) and John Erskine (undisclosed) both sat out Saturday’s game against the Thrashers. Defenseman Mike Green has been playing with a sore shoulder for a while. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said the player going on injured reserve is not Semin, for what that’s worth. Also, no scratches remained on the ice with goalie Semyon Varlamov after the skate. That’s a heaping jumble of confusing clues right there. But we’ll find out for sure in a few hours.
Injury or not, Perreault’s recall is intriguing. The 22-year-old has been here before – plenty of times. And Washington is still looking to stabilize its second-line center spot. Perreault made his NHL debut last season and is entering his fifth separate stint with the Caps. Will he stick this time? And what are the Caps looking to see from him?
“One is consistency, two is energy and three is being a good pro,” Boudreau said. “We know [Perreault] is capable of playing. In the past sometimes it’s just been a numbers thing. Sometimes it’s been that he’d play great one game and less than that the next game. If you’re an NHL player eight out of 10 games you’ve got to be your absolute best…less than that you’ve got to learn your craft.”
Those are some pretty pointed comments – especially the “being a good pro part.” Perreault did post 19 points in 11 games during a fine November at Hershey playing primarily on the top line due to injuries. Of course, six of his 13 assists that month came in one game on Nov. 14 against Binghamton. But still, he earned a promotion. Overall, Perreault has eight goals and 17 assists in 18 games with the Bears. Even he doesn’t know if this is another short-term recall or a chance to last, though. His best bet is to try and avoid treating every shift like it’s life-or-death.
“You don’t want to think too much,” Perreault said. “Obviously, you want to do good. But every time I start playing I’m thinking – if I go on and we don’t get a goal – I start to think ‘Next time, okay, let’s go.’ This is when I stop playing good. So I’ve just got to not think and play my game.”
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