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No concussion for Backstrom: “We can all be calm”

Nicklas Backstrom

Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (19), of Sweden, celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

AP

Feel free to relax, Capitals fans -- Nicklas Backstrom doesn’t have a concussion and expects to be in Washington’s lineup when the season starts.

Backstrom confirmed he visited a concussion specialist this week, but it turns out it was “more the neck, a stiff neck.”

The 25-year-old suffered the neck injury (if you can call a stiff neck an injury) when he was checked into the boards on Dec. 26 in a KHL game.

“I feel good, a hundred percent,” Backstrom said Friday, as per CSNWashington.com. “I know there’s a lot of speculation about what’s going on but it’s something I wanted to check out. It’s no concussion. We can all be calm.”

Backstrom missed 40 games with a concussion last season, thus all the speculation.