Pierre-Luc Dubois returns to practice as Caps prep for Kraken

The Washington Capitals, trying to surge back into playoff positioning before the Olympic break, had a welcome participant Monday at practice.

Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has missed 42 games since undergoing surgery on Nov. 7 on his abdominal and adductor muscles, was cleared for full contact with his teammates.

Whether Dubois makes his return when the Capitals play Tuesday in Seattle remains to be seen. Team officials said previously Dubois wasn't expected to dress until after the Olympic break, which would mean no sooner than Feb. 25 at home against the Philadelphia Flyers.

"I don't read too much into it," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "He looks good out there. ‘Dubie' always looks good, whether he's in a regular jersey or a light blue (non-contact) jersey. He just continues to progress. Today was a good step. He was kinda partaking in some of the drills that we did, little bit of contact there. Another good day for him, and he'll just continue on with his progression."

The Capitals, mired in a 1-4-1 slump, could certainly use the help. The 27-year-old Dubois, who has played in just six games this season, posted a career-high 66 points (20 goals, 46 assists) in 2024-25, his first campaign with Washington.

The Capitals showed signs of life over the weekend, winning 3-1 Friday in Calgary before taking a 6-5 overtime loss Saturday in Edmonton that gave them a 1-2-1 record on their six-game trip that concludes Thursday in Detroit.

Washington owned a 5-4 lead late against the Oilers, but Zach Hyman tied it with 32 seconds left and Connor McDavid scored the winner on a breakaway 47 seconds into overtime.

Connor McMichael and Justin Sourdif each had a goal and an assist while John Carlson and Tom Wilson added two helpers apiece for the Capitals.

"If we play like that every night, we give ourselves a really good chance to win some games," Capitals forward Anthony Beauvillier said. "That's just the way it goes sometimes, it's been a grind lately. But I think we gave ourselves the best chance to win (Saturday) and this is how it's going to have to look if we want to win.

"It's still a huge point for us, but it's unfortunate when it ends like that."

This will be the second and final meeting between Washington and Seattle this season. The Capitals won 4-1 on Oct. 21 at home as Nic Dowd had a goal and an assist, Aliaksei Protas added two helpers and goaltender Logan Thompson made 18 saves.

The Kraken defeated New Jersey 4-2 on Sunday to even their record on their six-game homestand at 2-2-0.

Captain Jordan Eberle, who shares the team lead in scoring, had a goal and an assist and Matty Beniers, Ryker Evans and Berkly Catton also tallied. Goalie Joey Daccord made 27 saves for Seattle, which had lost seven of its previous nine games (2-5-2).

Catton scored what proved to be the winner. It was the fifth goal in the past 11 games for the 20-year-old rookie, who went No. 8 overall in the 2024 NHL draft.

"I mean, I went, what, 27 games without a goal? That's a long time," Catton said. "It's nice that they're kind of starting to go in here. ... I have no clue how it went in. I had it, I shot it on net, and it hit the side of the net, and then I don't know what happened after that."

--Field Level Media