Burakovsky out, Vrana back in for Capitals

WASHINGTON Washington Capitals winger Andre Burakovsky will not travel with the team to Columbus, out for at least the next two games with an “upper-body” injury.

Burakovsky was injured on a hit from Columbus forward Boone Jenner in the first period and played just five shifts. The Capitals went on to lose in overtime for the second straight game and trail the Blue Jackets 2-0 in their best-ofseven series.

The loss is a blow for a Washington team already low on top-six forward talent. Burakovsky finished the regular season with three goals and three assists in his last eight games after his season got off to a miserable start. He missed 20 games earlier in the year because of a broken thumb. He finished with 12 goals and 13 assists in 56 games.

Burakovsky was skating on a second line with Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. The injury to Burakovsky reopens the door for rookie winger Jakub Vrana, who was a healthy scratch on Sunday night.

“For the player, it’s frustrating,” Trotz said. “Our mentality is the next guy up. The next guy up will be Jakub Vrana. For Andre, I feel bad for Andre ... It’s a setback, but he’ll come back strong.”

Vrana scored 13 goals and 14 assists in 73 games this season. He had the primary assist on Devante Smith-Pelly’s goal in Game 1 of the series, but he also had a pair of turnovers in his playoff debut and finished the game with less than seven minutes of ice time. With centre Jay Beagle returning to the lineup Sunday after an upper-body injury, Trotz had to push one forward out and he chose the 22-yearold skilled Czech, the organization’s first-round pick in 2015.

But Vrana’s speed and offensive instincts are most comparable to Burakovsky ’s, which is why he’s the natural choice to draw back into the lineup with Washington scoring just two even-strength goals in this series.