Capitals Notebook: Backstrom, Oshie, Sheary Skate In Regular Jerseys In ‘Non-Contact Practice,’ Dowd Ill

ARLINGTON, V.A. — It looks like quite a few Washington Capitals could be making more progress on the road to recovery.

Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie and Conor Sheary all hit the ice for Friday’s practice in regular jerseys. They had all been in blue non-contact jerseys over the last few skates. However, the team said it is a “non-contact practice,” and that it’s “status quo” for those guys.

Backstrom missed the start of training camp and has been on the long-term injured reserve since the start of the season. He had not skated with the team until November 24, when he started to get back on the ice and skate with the group.

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Oshie was injured after blocking a shot on Oct. 27, and he had been activated off the IR on the West Coast swing when the Capitals took on the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 20. However, he suffered another unrelated injury and missed the next game against the Seattle Kraken, and was subsequently placed back on the IR.

Then, in warm-ups against Seattle, Sheary went down with an upper-body injury and has not played since. He is currently listed on the IR as well.

It would be a major plus for Washington, who would get back three top-6 capable forwards. Backstrom and Oshie, of course, can help spark the struggling power play. Meanwhile, Sheary has also been an asset on the man advantage this season.

Nic Dowd, meanwhile, is not skating due to an illness, per the Capitals. It was not said whether or not it is COVID-19 related. Garnet Hathaway, Carl Hagelin and John Carlson are also not on the ice and taking maintenance days.