Capitals' Jakub Vrana: Handles spot duty Thursday

Vrana suited up and logged a shot on goal and a hit in 9:22 of ice time in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Blues.

Vrana was in the lineup to cover for the absence of Tom Wilson (illness). Wilson is expected to play Saturday versus the Lightning, which likely means Vrana will be back in the press box unless another forward is unavailable. His appearance Thursday ended a stretch of 18 straight games as a healthy scratch. Vrana has 11 points, 28 shots on net and a plus-6 rating across 26 outings with the Capitals, but if the team upgrades its forward depth at the trade deadline, he could be shipped out in a trade or waived to save cap space. In any case, it's unlikely he becomes a regular in the lineup down the stretch.