Caps F Aliaksei Protas likely out for playoff opener vs. Habs

Washington forward Aliaksei Protas is unlikely to play Monday night when the Capitals open their Eastern Conference first-round series against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.

Protas, 24, sustained a skate cut on the top of his left foot in a 5-3 home win over the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4 and missed the final six games of the regular season. He was limited to 15 minutes of skating before the team's morning skate on Monday.

Coach Spencer Carbery said that he expects Protas to play at some point during the best-of-seven series.

"I think, absolutely, I would expect him to play, and we'll see when that is," Carbery said. "It might be tonight. It might be Game 2 (on Wednesday). We'll see."

In 76 regular-season games, Protas recorded career highs with 30 goals, 36 assists, 66 points, 18 penalty minutes, 16:27 average ice time and a plus-40 rating that ranked third in the league.

Washington selected Protas in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has 119 career points (43 goals, 76 assists) and a plus-33 rating in 245 games since the 2021-22 season.

The Capitals had the best record in the Eastern Conference (51-22-9, 111 points), while the Canadiens (40-31-11, 91 points) earned the second wild-card berth.

--Field Level Media