Around the NHL: Caps\’ Burakovsky to miss time with injury

  The Washington Capitals have been rolling this season. They are first in the NHL with 82 points. They have a 11 game home winning streak, and have scored 5 or more goals in the last 10 of those 11 games. But in their 6-3 win against Detroit, LW Andre Burakovsky was hit in the hand from a slap shot by Wings defenseman Brendan Smith, and left the game and never came back. Coach Barry Trotz confirmed that Burakovsky will be out until late March, or 4-6 weeks. \”It\’s part of the game,\” Trotz said. \”It\’s part of the process. You can\’t control that. People get hurt in this game. We\’ve been very fortunate not to have a lot of injuries. It will be a good test.\” Burakovsky, who turned 22 Thursday (the day of the injury), has 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 52 games this season. He is a +15 this year also. After being a healthy scratch for 3 games in December, Burakovsky has 19 points in 25 games.
    The Wings also had an injury in the game. Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will miss an approximant 6-8 weeks after center Niklas Backstrom hit him.
     Rookie Zach Sanford will get the chance to play Saturday vs Anaheim. He has 1 assist in 20 NHL games this season and 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists) in 24 games with Hershey (AHL). Trotz also said it\’s possible that the Caps will recall rookie Jakub Vrana from Hershey. Vrana has 1 goal and 2 assists (3 points) in 13 NHL games earlier this season.