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Injury report: Mike Green leaves game with tightness in groin

Mike Green, Paul Byron

Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green (52) and Calgary Flames center Paul Byron (32) mix it up by the boards during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, in Washington. The Capitals won 3-1. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

AP

Going into Washington’s game against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, the Capitals were 9-0 with defenseman Mike Green in the lineup. After the 5-2 defeat in northern California, the team fell to 9-1 and it may be a while before we get to add to those totals. He only played three shifts and missed the last 10 minutes of the second period—and never appeared in the final frame. For those keeping track at home, the comeback attempt lasted all of 26 shifts in a game and a half.

After the game, Caps head coach Dale Hunter said that Green was removed from the game because he felt tightness in his injured groin. Like teammate Nicklas Backstrom before the game, Green was taken out of the game as a precautionary measure. He’s already missed 29 games with a sprained ankle and his injured groin, so the last thing the Caps want to do is take any extra risks with a player that has already struggled with injuries this year.

There was worry that Green left the game due to an injury he may have sustained when he was drilled with a tough check from Andrew Desjardins in the second, but Hunter explained that Green’s absence in the third period was unrelated to the body check. The good news is that it could just be his previous injury flaring up a little bit.

Of course, the bad news is that his previous injury may be flaring up.