Carlson (face) was on the ice prior to Friday's optional skate, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Carlson has not played since taking a slap shot to the face during a 4-1 victory over Winnipeg on Dec. 23. The 33-year-old is still a long way from returning to the lineup, but his presence on the ice is a good sign that his recovery is progressing.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Shifts to LTIR
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Carlson (face) was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday, Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reports.
Carlson, who has been out since Dec. 23, is expected to be unavailable for months, so the shift from regular IR to LTIR won't change his timetable. The 32-year-old blueliner has eight goals, 21 points, 101 shots on net, 70 blocks and 34 hits in 30 games this season. The Capitals moved Carlson to LTIR because Nicklas Backstrom (hip) and Tom Wilson (knee) are slated to return to the lineup Sunday versus Columbus.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Facing long-term absence
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Carlson (face) could be out multiple months but the team is hopeful that he'll return "well before" the playoffs, Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports.
Carlson took a slap shot to the face but was fortunate enough to avoid surgery. Still, the star blueliner is expected to miss "months, not weeks." The 32-year-old could be moved to long-term injured reserve at some point in the near future.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Goes on injured reserve
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Carlson (face) is out long term, Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reports. He has been placed on injured reserve.
Carlson was struck on the right side of his head/face by the puck last Friday against Winnipeg. He is not expected to play this week, but beyond that it is unclear how long he will be unavailable. Carlson has accounted for eight goals, 21 points, 101 shots on net, 70 blocks and 34 hits in 30 contests this campaign. Erik Gustafsson and Trevor van Riemsdyk are primed for increased roles at even strength as well as the power play.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Out indefinitely
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Carlson (face) was discharged from the hospital Saturday and remains under the care of Washington medical personnel.
Carlson is out indefinitely after being struck on the right side of the head/face by a shot from Winnipeg's Brenden Dillon on Friday. A timetable for his return remains unclear, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he was out for the remainder of the month. Carlson has registered eight goals, 21 points, 101 shots on net, 70 blocks and 34 hits in 30 contests this campaign.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Taken to hospital
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Carlson (face) was taken to the hospital after Friday's game against Winnipeg for "precautionary reasons," Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reports.
Carlson took a slap shot to the face and immediately left the game Friday. Fortunately, it sounds like the veteran defenseman only needed further evaluation as a precaution. An update on his status should be available before Tuesday's game against the Rangers.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Exits game after being hit by puck
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Carlson exited Friday's game against Winnipeg after being struck in the face by the puck, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.
Carlson was injured on a Brenden Dillon slap shot. There was blood on the ice as Carlson was helped to the locker room. The 32-year-old had a plus-1 rating and two shots in 16:12 of ice time before leaving the contest.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Keeps rolling against Sens
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Carlson recorded a power-play assist in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Senators.
Carlson started a tic-tac-toe sequence that culminated in an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal in the first period. December has been a particularly good month for the two-time NHL All-Star, as Carlson's managed a goal, seven assists and a plus-5 rating over 11 games.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Assists in four straight games
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Carlson produced an assist, three shots on goal, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Blackhawks.
Carlson has racked up five assists over his last four games. It didn't take him long to get a helper Tuesday, setting up Alex Ovechkin's goal just 24 seconds into the game. For the year, Carlson has eight tallies, 11 helpers, 88 shots on net, 61 blocked shots, 29 hits and a minus-6 rating through 25 contests as he remains one of the higher-scoring blueliners in the league.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Posts power-play helper
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Carlson notched a power-paly assist, five shots on goal, five blocked shots and two hits in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Jets.
Carlson set up an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal in the second period. It was the fourth assist in Carlson's last three games, and he's added three goals in his last eight contests. The star defenseman is up to eight goals, 10 helpers, 85 shots, 60 blocks, 29 hits and a minus-8 rating through 24 appearances this season.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Gets back in assist column
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Carlson dished out two assists to go with two shots, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Flyers.
Carlson picked up third-period helpers on Dylan Strome's game-winning goal and the first of Alex Ovechkin's two empty-netters. The assists ended a drought in that category dating back to Nov. 15, but Carlson has buoyed his production with six goals since that date.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Racks up seven shots
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Carlson registered seven shots, four blocks and a minus-1 rating versus Edmonton on Monday.
Carlson has put 50 shots on net over his last 12 contests, resulting in six goals and two assists. Given the blueliner's recent shot totals, he should continue to be a top-end fantasy target with plenty of goals to follow. Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Carlson should continue to feature prominently at both even strength and with the power play.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Scores eighth goal of 2022-23
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Carlson found the back of the net in Washington's 5-2 loss to Calgary on Saturday.
Carlson's goal came at 18:54 of the third period and only narrowed the Flames' lead to 4-2. He's found the back of the net in three of his last four games, bringing him up to eight goals and 14 points in 20 contests this season. Carlson is one of the league's best offensive defensemen and is appropriately serving on Washington's first pairing and top power-play unit.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Buries goal Tuesday
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Carlson scored a goal on three shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.
Carlson got a piece of a Nic Dowd shot at the net front, tallying the Capitals' fourth goal. Five of Carlson's seven tallies this year have come in the last seven contests. The 32-year-old blueliner is up to 13 points, 66 shots on net, 37 blocked shots, 21 hits and a minus-7 rating through 18 outings. He's picked up five power-play points and continues to log big minutes in all situations.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Stays hot in loss
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Carlson scored twice in a 5-4 shootout loss to St. Louis on Thursday.
It was Carlson's second straight multi-point game. He has five goals and 11 points in 13 contests this season. He's recorded at least 70 points in three of his last four seasons and it's entirely possible that he'll hit that milestone again. There are defensemen out there that can do better than him offensively, but not many.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Produces two points in loss
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Carlson scored a goal and drew an assist during Tuesday's 5-2 loss over the Panthers.
Carlson converted to briefly pull the Capitals to within 3-2 midway through the third period Tuesday. The 32-year-old defenseman redirected Erik Gustafsson's pass during a delayed penalty situation. It was Carlson's third goal this season and first in six games. He contributed seven shots and four blocks. Over their last 11 games, the Capitals have scored two or fewer goals seven times.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Records assist in return
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Carlson (lower body) registered an assist in Friday's 5-1 win against Tampa Bay.
Carlson missed the Capitals' previous six games because of the injury. He has two goals and seven points in 10 contests this season. He's one of the best offensive defensemen in the game, so expect him to make regular contributions as long as he stays healthy.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Returning Friday
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Carlson will be in the lineup Friday against the Lightning, Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reports.
Carlson was activated from the injured list earlier in the day and will make his return to the lineup following a six-game absence. The 32-year-old will take his usual spot on the top defensive pairing and quarterbacking the top power-play unit, while his return displaces Alexander Alexeyev from the lineup.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Activated Friday
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Carlson (lower body) was activated off injured reserve Friday, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Carlson should be good to go against Tampa Bay on Friday, as the Capitals have placed Dmitry Orlov (lower body) on injured reserve to give the team enough salary cap room in order to activate its best defenseman. Carlson has two goals and four assists in nine games this season.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Game-time decision Friday
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Carlson (lower body) will be a game-time decision Friday versus Tampa Bay, Samantha Pell of The Washington Post reports.
Carlson has missed the last six games, but all indications are pointing towards him playing Friday as he took regular ice time at practice and quarterbacked the first power play. Should he return, a corresponding move will have to be made in order to get the Capitals under the salary cap. Carlson has two goals and four assists through nine games this campaign.
