Washington Capitals center Lars Eller was in a full-contact jersey at Saturday’s practice for the first time in nearly two weeks.
Eller was in isolation in Anaheim for 10 days because of local regulations before he could finally leave his hotel room and return to Washington on Wednesday.
Eller is fully vaccinated. He has missed six games since his positive test.
Washington (13-3-5) visits the Carolina Hurricanes (15-3-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday before visiting the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
“No one else on the team got it; nobody in my house got it. I don’t know; I have no idea where I got it from,” Eller said. “I mean, [it happened] most likely somewhere on that road trip in Detroit and Columbus, but I’ve really only been around my teammates and nothing else. It’s really odd. I’ve just been extremely unlucky.”
Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette said he’s hoping that Eller can play Sunday. Eller said he feels “close” and could play in Carolina. He has one goal and seven assists in 15 games this season.
Eller was taking line rushes as Washington’s second-line center Saturday. The Capitals will not hold a morning skate Sunday.
“I feel really good,” Eller said. “I feel full of energy, done an hour out there … I almost feel a little rejuvenated. We don’t get a lot of breaks during the season, so if there is a positive of all of this, there is a little rest in the body because I had to rest far longer [than wanted].”
Eller said he was symptomatic for the first three days of isolation. He felt like he had a mild cold or flu but did not have a high fever or any breathing problems. He said he thought he could have had a false positive at first, because the symptoms felt cold-like, but another test turned up positive again.
He felt normal by the fourth day and then started to get some dumbbells and a stationary bike in his room to try to get back in shape.
He created a routine, working out in the mornings and then using the afternoons to watch movies and shows, do some meditation and read a book to pass the time. He read Mark Messier’s “No One Wins Alone,” and his favorite show he watched was “Succession” on HBO.
“It’s challenging because you feel like you’re mostly wasting time when you should be somewhere else, right?” Eller said. “I hope I don’t have to do it again anytime soon.”
Washington could get Eller back in the lineup Sunday or Tuesday, but it appears it will still be without Conor Sheary, T.J. Oshie, Justin Schultz, Nicklas Backstrom and Anthony Mantha, at least for Sunday’s game.
Laviolette was unclear Saturday afternoon on whether any of the injured players would travel on the two-game trip.
Sheary, who has missed the past three games with an upper-body injury, was at Saturday’s practice in a noncontact jersey but did not take any line rushes. Backstrom was also in a noncontact jersey during Saturday’s practice. He is still on long-term injured reserve but is continuing to progress. There is no timetable for his return.
Schultz was not at practice after he suffered an upper-body injury on Wednesday against Montreal. He is still listed as day-to-day. Dennis Cholowski is expected to fill Schultz’s spot on the third defensive pairing with Trevor van Riemsdyk on Sunday. Cholowski played 16:04 in Washington’s 4-3 Friday win over the Panthers.
Oshie is eligible to come off injured reserve Sunday, but he did not participate during Saturday’s practice. He could be seen watching practice on the bench with Mantha, who has yet to skate since his injury. Oshie was placed on injured reserve Wednesday for the second time this season.
Oshie’s latest ailment is a lower-body injury suffered late in a 4-0 win at San Jose on Nov. 20. The 34-year-old sat out Sunday’s 5-2 loss at Seattle. Oshie has played eight games this season and has four goals and three assists. Before his appearance Saturday, he missed 10 games with a different injury suffered when he blocked a shot with his right foot Oct. 27 against Detroit.
