The Capitals are coming off a lengthy Olympic break four points out of playoff position.
The Washington Capitals will be back in town on Tuesday, as they'll take the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for an optional practice in the afternoon before getting back in the rhythm of regular skates.
As Tom Wilson, Logan Thompson and Martin Fehervary remain overseas and continue to compete for gold at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Washington's remaining players will take the ice again for what coach Spencer Carbery called a "mini training camp."
"If you do the math, there's 23 games (left). You got to win a lot of hockey games," Carbery pointed out.
Right now, the Capitals, who won four of their final five games before the break, sit four points out of a tie for third in the Metropolitan Division and four out of a Wild Card spot. Their play before the league pressed pause was a welcome sign, as was the return of Pierre-Luc Dubois, as they seemed to recapture some of their identity.
Still, the next handful of practices before game action starts back up on Feb. 25 will be vital for D.C., who is also dealing with a number of injuries.
The hope is that Connor McMichael, listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury he suffered on Jan. 29 in Detroit, will be back skating and working his way toward a return, and that the case will be the same for Charlie Lindgren, also on the injured reserve after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Red Wings.
John Carlson was also hurt in the team's final game before the break against Nashville on Feb. 5, though Carbery wasn't overly concerned and didn't believe it was going to be anything long-term.
Washington will get more updates and clarity as it makes his way back, but overall, Carbery said it's imperative for the team to hit the ground running in its return.
"It's going to take a pretty big push. I'm not a huge projector of, 'Okay, what are you going to need to get in,' but with the way things look in the East and in our decision, I don't think it's out of the realm to expect that you're going to need 100 points," Carbery said.
"We're going to need to come out of the break and be hot as a pistol. That's not only as a team, but individually. Guys are going to have to come out of that break playing at a really, really high level individually."