Protas getting back up to speed for Capitals after skate cut

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Aliaksei Protas missed some big moments with the Washington Capitals while he was recovering from a skate cut on his left foot, but he hopes there are plenty more ahead in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 24-year-old forward at least made it back for Washington’s 4-1 series-clinching win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Wednesday, which should help him get closer to full speed for start of the second round against Carolina Hurricanes. The date and time for Game 1 in Washington has not yet been announced.

“I hope it’s not going to take lots of time, but I will do my best to help the team right now,” Protas said Friday. “Just work hard every day and, hopefully, it’s going to get even better, and we’ll continue to get better as a team during the series and during the playoffs.”

Protas’ skate cut halted a breakout season in which he set NHL career-highs with 30 goals, 36 assists and 66 points in 76 regular-season games. Often playing on the top line with Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin, he was an impact player throughout the season with his strong skating and size (6-foot-6, 247 pounds).

Protas’ injury was almost a footnote at the time, though, because it happened minutes before Ovechkin scored his 894th goal to tie Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record during the third period of the Capitals’ 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4. He had to be helped off the ice after the skate blade of Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser cut him on top of his foot in a collision in front of Chicago’s net.

Protas was in the locker room for the postgame celebration, but didn’t know at the time the seriousness of his injury, which included tendon damage.

“They told me kind of next morning,” Protas said. “They told me what was going on and how much time. As soon as you progress, I was trying to get (back) as early as possible, but needed to also be careful because it could get more serious.”

Wearing a protective boot on his foot, Protas traveled for the Capitals’ 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April 6, so at least he was in the building when Ovechkin scored his 895th goal, but he was unable to experience the on-ice excitement of the record-breaking moment. Then, he needed to wait to give the cut, particularly the tendon, time to heal before he resumed skating lightly on April 20, the day before Washington played its playoff opener against Montreal.

“There’s some steps you’ve got to be careful with, especially with the tendon and everything,” Protas said. “You needed to take a couple more days and you needed a couple weeks to at least get to the point when the risk is low. And from there, it’s only going to get better, but you’ve got to be a little careful.”

That the Capitals were able to take a 3-1 series lead against the Canadiens without Protas made it easier for him to wait.

“I’m not happy to watch it and be out, but it was fun,” Protas said. “The boys did a great job. Seeing it from the stands, the boys how hard they work for each other and how hard those games [were], you could really tell this team is tight and really good.”

Protas helped the Capitals close out the series, playing 16:48 at right wing on the fourth line with Brandon Duhaime and center Nic Dowd. Protas did not have a point or a shot on goal, but he was able to shake off some of the rust and his “heavy” legs from going three-and-a-half weeks without playing a game.

“Just started simple,” he said. “Started [with] short shifts, just trying to get up to this tempo because when I was watching from the stands it looked so fast, everything. So, I needed to get used to it. And after first period, I got way better.”

Jumping into the playoffs after a lengthy injury layoff is not easy, so Capitals coach Spencer Carbery thought Protas did well, considering the circumstances.

“I thought his pace looked good, his puck touches, for the most part, were good,” Carbery said. “I thought he gave us some good shifts on the penalty kill. There was a little bit of rust, but I would say more related to him just missing a bunch of time and getting plugged right into a competitive playoff series, I was happy with the way that he played.”

Protas will need some more time to get back to 100 percent but getting that first game out of the way should help him feel more comfortable in the second round. Carbery envisions Protas potentially moving up in the lineup as the series against the Hurricanes progresses.

“Him getting that game under his belt coming back into a series-clinching game, us having success and winning the game, I think that will give him some confidence,” Carbery said. “As we move along here in the Carolina series, I think his game and the role will just become more impactful and more significant.”