Bahl Returns To Blueline

WASHINGTON - It took a bit longer than he anticipated but Kevin Bahl is set to make his return to the lineup this evening when the Flames take on the Washington Capitals at 5 p.m. MT (Sportsnet West).

The blueliner was sidelined for eight games with a lower-body injury prior to the Four Nations break but looked to be ready to go on Sunday when the San Jose Sharks made a stop at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

However, he was held out in the 3-2 win due to illness.

A couple more days of rest has served him well and he's raring to go this evening.

"It's good," he said following the Flames' morning skate at Capital One Arena. "I wanted (to play in) the last one but it is what it is, caught something.

"I'm ready to play."

Prior to falling ill, the blueliner benefitted from the two-week break, using the time to get himself back up to speed after recovering from the injury he suffered on Jan. 25 in Minnesota. The lengthy skates the Flames held prior to getting back into action on Sunday allowed him to feel as prepared as he possibly could for this evening's tilt.

"It was a good week - it was almost like a mini training camp week. It was good to get those high-end reps in with the guys."

He'll be paired with his usual defence partner Rasmus Andersson this evening and will be tasked with shutting down Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, who sit second in the league with a 38-11-8 record and 84 points on the year.

Only the Winnipeg Jets sit ahead of them in the NHL standings with 85 points and the Capitals will no doubt be eager to get back into that top spot.

The duo are no strangers to logging hard minutes, with Andersson averaging a team-leading 24:07 per game and Bahl averaging 21:18 per night.

"We were expecting him to play last game but things happen and people have to step up," head coach Ryan Huska said when asked about Bahl's return. "I thought some guys did that for us but it will be nice to have him back and get him in his usual spot tonight."

"I think it helps (Rasmus), too, I do. The chemistry built together was really good at the beginning of the year, as we talked about a few days ago. It slipped a little bit, their play together, over the last few games before Kevin was hurt but I think it's a challenge for Ras, too, to really elevate his play. That's one thing we'll look for out of him is that he's the guy that takes it upon himself to make sure that pair is good tonight because he's got the ability to do that."

One of the players that stepped up in Bahl's absence, as Huska noted, was Ilya Solovyov.

The rookie defenceman played alongside Andersson in Sunday's win over the Sharks, throwing five hits, blocking two shots, and sending two shots on net in his 19:24 of ice time.

He remains in the lineup tonight, paired up with Brayden Pachal.

"Washington's a big team as well," said Huska. "Solo is a guy who is a very strong young man so we'll look for him to be good around our net-front," Huska said.