The Washington Capitals' blue line corps may have taken a hit Monday as veteran Brooks Orpik left Game 3 against the Philadelphia Flyers with a possible injury. Orpik looked dazed while coming up after getting laid against the boards in the second period Monday night. Coach Barry Trotz said after the game that he will be re-evaluated Tuesday for an upper-body injury.
Brooks Orpik leaves Game 3 against Flyers looking dazed after big hit
Orpik will be re-evaluated Tuesday.
Trainers helped Orpik off the ice and to the locker room following the collision with Ryan White, who laid the shoulder-to-shoulder hit on Orpik that left him jammed against the boards. Given the possibility of a head injury in this case, the defenseman have gone post-concussion protocol.
Orpik was fourth on the Capitals in ice time over the first two games against Philadelphia, so his absence takes a major bite into Washington's defense. The team was already playing a front-loaded top-four with Orpik, John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Karl Alzner getting most of the minutes, so it'll be interesting to see if Dmitry Orlov or Nate Schmidt is the one to see the playing time boost should Orpik miss any action.
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