Here's everything to know before the Capitals face the Penguins.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals are back at it for yet another showdown with "biggest game of the year" pedigree around it, this time against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Washington needs two points to continue to stake its claim for a playoff spot and to continue to fend off the Detroit Red Wings, and preventing Pittsburgh from getting two points will keep the Penguins out of the Wild Card race to boot. Otherwise, they'll be within a point of WC2.
Here's everything to know before puck drop at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
The Capitals are again without the services of T.J. Oshie due to an upper-body injury, but they will have a key member of the lineup back as Tom Wilson returns from a six-game suspension.
Charlie Lindgren will again get the start, marking his 42nd of the season. Hunter Shepard has been called up for precautionary reasons in case Darcy Kuemper, who was hurt in Wednesday's optional skate, can't dress.
Here are the lines:
Alex Ovechkin-Connor McMichael-Tom Wilson
Aliaksei Protas-Dylan Strome-Ivan Miroshnichenko
Max Pacioretty-Hendrix Lapierre-Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Mike Sgarbossa
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Nick Jensen
Alex Alexeyev-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Charlie Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper
Washington Capitals Injury Report
- T.J. Oshie is out for the next two games with an upper-body injury. He is "hopefully" progressing to return this season, but will continue to play things by ear.
- Nicklas Backstrom is still on long-term injured reserve and is unlikely to play again this season after stepping away due to his hip not responding as he'd hoped following hip resurfacing surgery in June 2022.
Washington Capitals Storylines
- Alex Ovechkin is four goals away from 30 this season and will go head-to-head once again with Sidney Crosby, who is also trying to lift his team to playoffs.
- Dylan Strome is tied with Alex Ovechkin for the team lead in goals (26) and has points in seven of his last eight, with 11 points total over that span.
- John Carlson has points in eight of the last nine games, with nine points in that span.
- Hendrix Lapierre has points in three of his last four games and has 12 points in 18 games since being called back up to the NHL. He ranks third in goals and tied for fourth in scoring among rookies since then.
- Mike Sgarbossa has points in back-to-back games.
How To Watch Capitals vs. Penguins
The game will be live on Monumental Sports Network, which is also altering an alt cast.
Fans can also tune in on Caps Radio 24/7 and 106.7 FM The Fan.
Capitals Playoff Implications
The Capitals have 82 points and own the tiebreaker with Detroit for the second Wild Card spot. If they win, they will move ahead of the Red Wings and pass the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Detroit and Philadelphia are both in action on Friday, so with help from the out-of-town scoreboard, D.C. could be in a decent spot if it can collect points in the next 48 hours, especially in Carolina.
If Pittsburgh wins, the Penguins move within one point of a Wild Card spot and the Capitals remain in a sticky situation, with the chance to be knocked out of contention on Friday if Detroit wins and they lose.