Andre Burakovsky, sidelined since February 9th with a hand injury, has been activated from LTIR by the Washington Capitals and is expected to be in the lineup tonight as the team travels to Tampa Bay to play the Lightning, reports Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.
The 22-year-old winger was injured blocking a shot by Brendan Smith during a game against Detroit and has missed the last 15 contests as a result. On the season, Burakovsky has tallied 11 goals with 18 assists in 52 games while posting a +15 plus/minus rating. In 184 career regular season contests, the Capitals 2013 first-round pick has netted 37 goals and 89 points.
Burakovsky’s return was expected following the team’s reassignment of rookie forward Jakub Vrana to Hershey of the AHL. That transaction left the Capitals with just 11 healthy forwards and suggested that Burakovsky was on the verge of a return.
Vrana has appeared in 21 contests for Washington during his freshman campaign and has tallied three goals and three helpers. The 21-year-old winger was chosen in the first round of the 2014 entry draft by Washington and is considered to be one of the team’s top prospects. For now he heads to Hershey, where he will provide the Bears with an offensive jolt. In 36 AHL games this season, Vrana has 14 goals and 26 points and should help Hershey in their quest to lock up a playoff spot.