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Tom Poti expected to make full recovery

30.04.10

Tom Poti didn't want to do his final interview of the season on camera.

Given the swath of stitches on the right side of his face, his blood-filled eye, and the black-and-blue bruise surrounding it, his request was totally understandable.

Poti, the Caps' best defensive defenseman, suffered the gruesome injury in the second period of Game 6 against the Montreal Canadiens and couldn't suit up for Game 7. Still, he might be the most relieved player on the team. Despite the pain of losing in the first round, the 33-year-old will be able to play another NHL game -- which was no sure thing in the hours after Mike Cammalleri's backhander hit him square in the eye.

Doctors "are 100 percent confident I'll make a full recovery," Poti said in his first public comments since getting hurt. "Right now it's a situation where it's very blurry. But it's getting better every day. They say within a week, I'll have a 100 percent vision back. The face will take some time to heal."

Source: Washington Post (blog)