ARLINGTON, V.A. — After a gritty 5-4 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday, the Washington Capitals had an optional practice on Tuesday, and it was fairly well-attended.
Dylan Strome, Jakob Chychrun, Andrew Mangiapane, Aliaksei Protas, Rasmus Sandin, Taylor Raddysh, Jakub Vrana, Dylan McIlrath, Ethen Frank, Connor McMichael, Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren all took the ice for extra work and drills.
It wasn't a long practice, but was productive, as coach Spencer Carbery demands more from his group down the stretch.
The bench boss added that the team hasn't looked like itself of late, even after snapping a three-game losing skid, and that perhaps the first two games back from the 4 Nations break gave the team a "false sense of reality" for how easy it would be.
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After Logan Thompson signed a six-year extension with the Washington Capitals at the end of January, Charlie Lindgren was left wondering where he fit into the picture — but that didn't last long.
"The games are going to get more difficult in our last 20, that's certain. There's zero question about that," Carbery explained.
One player that wasn't in attendance was Sonny Milano, who also didn't take part in Monday's mornng skate. He recently upgraded to full contact after weeks of progress, though there are still ways to go as he continues his recovery from an upper-body injury suffered on Nov. 6.
Carbery said everything with Milano is still "status quo," though it's unclear if there was a setback.
Washington is headed up to the Big Apple, as it has a meeting with former coach Peter Laviolette and the New York Rangers on Wednesday.