The Capitals are bringing up two more Hershey Bears to help fill some voids going into Thursday's meeting with the Maple Leafs.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — With Ethan Bear out indefinitely and Sonny Milano still recovering from injury, the Washington Capitals made some more roster moves on Wednesday and recalled defenseman Vincent Iorio and forward Matthew Phillips from the AHL's Hershey Bears.
Bear is receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and in the meantime, Iorio will get his first call-up of the season to help fill that void on the right side.
Iorio is in the middle of a solid sophomore season at the AHL level and is tied for fifth in the AHL in plus/minus (plus-26) through 60 games so far this season with the top-ranked Bears. He also has four goals and 10 assists, and he is tied for first among Hershey skaters in games played.
Meanwhile, Phillips will return to Washington with Sonny Milano dealing with an upper-body injury. The 26-year-old has five points in 31 games between the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins this season and recently returned to D.C. after being re-claimed off waivers.
Phillips gives Washington another forward option and a player familiar with the team's systems. Mike Sgarbossa and Nicolas Aube-Kubel are also available for D.C., but Aube-Kubel found himself on the wrong side of an Alex DeBrincat goal in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win and ended up being benched after skating just 4:20 minutes.
The Capitals are headed to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Thursday before returning home for a Saturday showdown with the Boston Bruins. They hold a two-point lead over the second Wild Card spot and sit one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division.