Not only was defenceman Dennis Wideman not in Thursday's lineup for the Washington Capitals, there's no telling when he might return.
Wideman was hospitalized in a Washington hospital with a significant leg hematoma as a result of a hit Tuesday by Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu.
A hematoma is caused by a contusion where blood escapes or leaks from an artery, vein or capillary into soft tissue, such as a muscle, where it does not belong.
It can cause significant swelling and pressure, which often times can only be released by making an incision to drain the blood from the soft tissue.
Sources tell TSN that is precisely the situation in which Wideman now finds himself. While no one knows exactly when, or if, he might return to the Caps lineup, it's more likely to be classified as out indefinitely as opposed to day-to-day.
That could be a significant loss for the Caps, who are, for now anyway, also without top defenceman Mike Green as well as veteran Tom Poti.
