Backstrom continues to rehab his hip after undergoing offseason surgery. He has not been cleared for practice, but he is expected to make his season debut before the end of October.

Backstrom missed Tuesday’s practice and Wednesday’s morning skate because of an illness, but is expected to play tonight vs. the Rangers. Backstrom has five assists in his last four games.

After being injured on Tuesday in a big collision with Drew Doughty, Backstrom will miss no time and play on Saturday. Backstrom has two goals and 12 assists (14 points) in his last 14 games. His 57 assists ranks third in the NHL and his 70 points is good for 12th.

After leaving Tuesday's game with an upper-body injury, Backstrom did not practice on Wednesday, but has rejoined his teammates this morning. The Capitals are back in action on Saturday, so barring a setback it looks like Backstrom should be good-to-go. Monitor his status as Saturday's clash with the Bruins approaches.

Backstrom was upended by Kings defenseman Drew Doughty in the second period. He headed down the tunnel after the hit and did not return. Coach Adam Oates said Backstrom was not undergoing concussion protocol testing and reiterated that the 26-year-old suffered an upper-body injury. A serious injury to Backstrom would devastate the Capitals who continue to push for the playoffs.

A good sign as it doesn't appear Backstrom will miss any time.

Backstrom stayed home and missed practice yesterday because of an illness but should be good to go tonight.

Backstrom missed practice this morning with an illness and is questionable for tomorrow's game vs. Carolina. He has 1 G, 12 A and is a -2 in 17 games this season. Monitor his status tomorrow.

Draft as you would normally - it looks like Backstrom will enter camp with no injury.

The Capitals' attack - and your fantasy team - will certainly be affected if the season starts and Backstrom is unavailable.

Backstrom will sit out Game 4 Thursday night because of his cross-check on Bruins forward Rich Peverly.

Expect Backstrom to play on the top line tonight between Marcus Johansson and Alex Ovechkin. Sidelined since January 3rd with a concussion, the pivot scored 13 goals and 42 points on the season.

Backstrom continues to practice with the club and is an option to play tomorrow. Check back for a further update from the team.

Backstrom is cleared for contact, cleared by doctors and is now travelling with the team. Drawing back into the lineup is at his discretion.

Backstrom still needs to work on his conditioning but he should return to the lineup shortly.

Backstrom continues to skate and took his first practice in since getting hurt. He should be an option to play again during the regular season.

Fantastic news for all parties invested in Backstrom. With a few more practices, Backstrom should be able to return this season.

More good news on Backstrom, albeit cryptic. The star center still has no timetable for his return.

Backstrom continues to skate and workout which is very encouraging. He still has no timetable whatsoever.

Backstrom skating without setbacks continues to be a good omen. There is still no timetable on his status.