The Capitals again won’t have Michal Neuvirth as the backup goalie tonight when they face the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m. at Verizon Center. He is still dealing with a lower-body injury – though he felt well enough to don his pads and take some shots neat the end of the skate. Neuvirth stayed on to work with likely scratches John Erskine and Mathieu Perreault.
Instead, veteran Dany Sabourin has been recalled from AHL Hershey as the reserve behind starter Tomas Vokoun. Sabourin made 41 saves on 46 shots in a 7-5 victory over Norfolk on Friday. That allows Braden Holtby to make his scheduled start for the Bears tonight at home against Norfolk. Holtby had served as the backup against Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Neuvirth spent over an hour on the ice taking shots and talking with goalie coach Dave Prior. He appeared to drop into the butterfly okay, but at times looked limited pushing off to get from post to post. It’s the first time he’s practiced in four days for what was originally described by the team as an off-ice injury. Neuvirth, who wasn’t made available to the media, is still listed as day-to-day. More serious than first thought?
“No. This is his first time [on ice]. That’s all it is,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “He’s taking it slow. Don’t read anything more into it than it is.”
Follow me on Twitter @bmcnally14
