ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals will be without defenseman Mike Green because of an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

"Just sort of day-to-day here and making sure that everything's intact so I can play properly," Green said. "It's good to push it and to see where you're at. It's nothing serious, so it's just a matter of getting it strong and healthy. Mobility and strength just isn't there."

Defenseman Brooks Orpik will be a game-time decision with a lower-body injury. He is one of four Capitals defensemen to have played in all 67 games this season, along with John Carlson, Karl Alzner and Matt Niskanen. Washington is the only team in the NHL with at least four defensemen that have appeared in every game.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be a game-time decision against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday because of a lower-body injury.

"We'll see," said Ovechkin, who did not practice Friday but participated in Washington's optional morning skate Saturday. "I'm probably going to take [the pregame] warm-up and we'll see how it goes."

Ovechkin missed Washington's 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday with the injury, sustained during a play Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets that he would not reveal. He had played in 96 consecutive games prior to Thursday.

During Ovechkin's 10-season NHL career, the Capitals are 13-11-2 when he is not in the lineup.

"It was [the kind of] pain, probably if it was a [Stanley Cup] Playoff game, I [would have played Thursday]," he said. "Right now you don't want to push when you don't feel healthy enough. Right now I feel much better so I'm going to try.

"If it was [the] same pain like I have a couple days ago, I would probably don't even take a morning skate right now. I feel much better [than Friday]."

WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will not play against the Minnesota Wild at Verizon Center on Thursday, because of a lower-body injury.

Ovechkin, who has not missed a game this season, leads the NHL with 43 goals, including 16 in 19 games since the All-Star break. The Capitals are 13-10-2 during his 10-year career when Ovechkin is not in the lineup.

Forward Andre Burakovsky, recalled from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis Thursday, will skate in Ovechkin's customary left wing spot on Washington's first line with Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is a game-time decision Thursday against the Minnesota Wild with a lower-body injury.

Coach Barry Trotz excused Ovechkin from Washington's morning skate, saying that his playing status will be determined before the game.

"We've got a couple guys who are sort of banged up right now a little bit, and we've got a couple guys that are sort of in that warm-up mode," Trotz said. "We'll see after warm-ups."

Ovechkin leads the NHL with 43 goals, having scored 16 in 19 games since the All-Star break, and is tied with linemate Nicklas Backstrom for the League lead in points with 67.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Losing streaks are always unwelcome, but particularly preceding the NHL Trade Deadline when they can potentially influence an organization’s strategy.

The Washington Capitals, who play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Verizon Center on Sunday, are currently experiencing that. They have lost three straight in regulation for the first time since Oct. 26 – Nov. 2, when they lost four in a row.

Coach Barry Trotz, frustrated after a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, put his players on notice.

“There’s some players that, a couple weeks ago, you say, ‘Yeah, we’re fine there,’” Trotz said. “It makes your management team and your coaching staff think, ‘Hey we’re not fine there.’ Some guys who felt very comfortable may find themselves either getting an addition at the deadline or maybe even a change. That’s just the reality of it.”

ARLINGTON, Va. – After a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom bluntly assessed the Capitals' power-play performance.

"We were terrible actually," he said.

Washington failed to score on five opportunities Sunday, taking two shots on goal in 8:58 of power-play time. To ensure that there is no repeat performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Verizon Center on Wednesday, the Capitals spent practice Tuesday working on special teams.

Coaches oversaw a full-ice drill emphasizing breakouts and zone entries, which were sloppy against the Flyers and prevented them from setting up effectively.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Three weeks from the NHL Trade Deadline, the Washington Capitals are within three points of first place in the Metropolitan Division. After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, the Capitals are in position to qualify with 28 games remaining.

Coach Barry Trotz has said that he is confident that the Capitals as currently constructed are talented enough to compete in the postseason, an assertion he reiterated Monday.

"If we were totally healthy, I could handle it," Trotz said. "I've gone into the playoffs with less."

If Washington were to make a trade before the deadline on March 2, Trotz said that he and general manager Brian MacLellan have a pretty good idea of what they need.

ARLINGTON, Va. – During a third-period rush against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov single-handedly slinked through three opposing skaters, each futilely flailing at the puck when Kuznetsov closed in on a scoring chance.

Capitals coach Barry Trotz has often characterized such displays of Kuznetsov's natural talent by saying that he must have the puck on a string. That offensive ability has started to emerge, evidenced by Kuznetsov's play since the Capitals reconvened after the All-Star break.

In the past seven games, Kuznetsov has two goals and seven points. All seven have come at even strength, which leads the Capitals and NHL since Jan. 27, according to war-on-ice.com.

"It's seems like he's at the top of his game right now," forward Jason Chimera said.

WASHINGTON -- Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is out for a second straight game Friday at the Washington Capitals.

Getzlaf, was a late scratch Thursday against the Nashville Predators after aggravating a lower-body injury during warm-ups.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Having each played on the road Thursday, neither the Anaheim Ducks nor the Washington Capitals held morning skates prior to their game at Verizon Center on Friday.

The Ducks defeated the Nashville Predators on Thursday, claiming sole possession of the NHL's best record with 74 points in a 5-2 victory.

Anaheim won without captain Ryan Getzlaf, who was a late scratch after aggravating a lower-body injury during warm-ups.

"Right now, it's just a game-time decision," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We'll see how we feels before warm-up and we'll go from there. But we did, just in case, we brought up William Karlsson just in case he can't go, but he was feeling a lot better this morning."