"While Dubois has been skating for over a month, head coach Spencer Carbery previously indicated he would be out of the lineup through the Olympics, telling reporters in January to wait until after the Games to ask about his timeline. But with Dubois recovering ahead of schedule, the team opted to get him some ice time on Thursday rather than holding him out through the 19-day break."
"Why not give him an extra three weeks? Which is where my head went to as well. The reason why is to get him into a game - if he's ready, get him into one game. He's got three weeks or two weeks (off after that). He can come back. He's got over that obstacle, or that first game under his belt, and then he can use the break. He has some plans to utilize that and then get back to practices when we return."
"Carbery explained the decision after Thursday's morning skate: with his first game back already out of the way, Dubois will be better prepared to play after the break. Dubois will return to his role centering Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas on Thursday, though Carbery noted he expected an adjustment period before Dubois was back to 100%. "There's no ill-conceived notions of him coming in and putting a cape on and saving the world," he said. "It's going to be a process of coming back.""
Pierre-Luc Dubois will play Thursday for the first time since Halloween, returning from a 47-game absence after abdominal and abductor surgery. He has been skating for over a month and recovered ahead of schedule, so the team gave him ice time before the 19-day Olympic break. Coach Spencer Carbery said Dubois is ready and that getting one game under his belt will help him use the break to continue recovery. Dubois will center Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas and will likely need an adjustment period before reaching full form. A productive return could boost the Capitals in the playoff race.
Read at RMNB
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