While the Caps will get defenseman Mike Green back on Saturday after a long layoff, fellow blueliner Tom Poti is not so lucky. Still dealing with an injured groin, Poti will not play in either of the last two regular-season games, according to coach Bruce Boudreau. Instead, he will continue to heal and – when ready to go and if an opportunity arises – be thrust into the Stanley Cup playoffs. That’s not an ideal scenario, for sure. But Poti has run out of time.
“He’s been out three, three-and-a-half months right now and I just don’t see it happening in the regular season,” Boudreau said. “He’ll be a guy. It’s tough to put him in when you haven’t played. But if it comes down to it in the playoffs when we need him he’s going to have to rely on his experience until he gets game ready.”
Four times this season Poti has tried to return from the injury and each time suffered a setback – late October, mid-November, late December and finally a Jan. 12 game against Tampa Bay. He hasn’t played in a game since, appearing in just 21 games all season and missing the last 36. Poti did skate prior to Wednesday’s optional morning skate at Kettler Iceplex. But information on his injury is a little harder to come by now that the Caps are in full playoff mode.
Starts and stops have long been an issue and skating hard on back-to-back days is a struggle, too. But there’s nothing left to lose at this point. Consider Poti like a fire extinguisher – break glass in case of emergency only. When someone goes down in the postseason throw him out there and see what happens. If the groin goes again, well, you have all summer to recuperate. Ramp up time? That’s over.
“When you get to the postseason you shouldn’t need anything,” Boudreau said. “It’s a heart-pounding, adrenaline filled moment of your life that if you’re lucky you wait once a year to get into that position. So I’ve seen it happen many times where guys come off injuries or what have you and become tremendous.”
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