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Green (lower body) to miss third straight for Caps

Mike Green

Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green (52) pauses on the ice in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

AP

Washington will be without its leading d-man scorer tonight against Pittsburgh.

Mike Green, who has missed the last two contests with a lower-body ailment, will be held out of his third straight game on Tuesday when the Caps host the Penguins at Verizon.

“Not ready. Not 100 percent ready,” head coach Adam Oates told the Washington Post. “He could go. [Pittsburgh is] really good team and don’t want to put him in a position where he’s behind the 8-ball a little bit.”

Green, who sits first among Caps defensemen with 11 points and third on the team in assists, has been logging a heavy workload this season. He’s averaging over 24 minutes per game and sits third among all blueliners in blocked shots, with 32.

“Mentally I’m in a good place, when you’re getting better and you can actually get back on the ice and work on your strength,” Green said. “This is my second real day where I’ve actually skated. Yesterday was a good one. Today was even better.

“I don’t think one practice would have been enough. It’s important I strengthen the leg and also my endurance so I’m ready to go.”

With Green out, the Caps will go with the same defensive group that suited up in Sunday’s 4-1 win over St. Louis: Karl Alzner, John Carlson, Tyston Strachan, Nate Schmidt, Alex Urbom and Steve Oleksy.

Related: NHL on NBCSN: Capitals and Penguins rekindle an old divisional battle