Washington faces New Jersey in one last game before a lengthy offseason.
WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals will salute the fans and say goodbye earlier than expected while also giving away the jerseys on their backs as their season comes to a close with Thursday's tilt against the New Jersey Devils.
It marks the final game of the 2022-23 campaign for D.C., who will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nine years.
On the plus side, Alex Ovechkin appears likely to return to the lineup, and there's a fun story to watch as the team brought on a NCAA Division III netminder to back up Darcy Kuemper.
Here's what to know ahead of puck drop.
Washington Capitals Projected Lines
Ovechkin is a game-time decision, along with several other players, but with Henrik Borgstrom returning to Hershey, Ovechkin's return appears more than likely.
Nic Dowd will not play, nor will T.J. Oshie, who was shut down for the season with three games to go, Anthony Mantha or Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Here are the lines:
Alex Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-Craig Smith
Conor Sheary-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson
Sonny Milano-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Joe Snively
Beck Malenstyn-Aliaksei Protas-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Nick Jensen
Alex Alexeyev-Matt Irwin
Matt Irwin is a game-time decision and is also dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Kuemper will start, with Reid Cooper serving as the backup. Cooper, who played for Curry College, signed an amateur tryout on Thursday. Charlie Lindgren is unavailable to the team after suffering a lower-body injury in Tuesday's loss to Boston, though the injury isn't serious.
Washington Capitals Notes
- Dylan Strome is on a five-game point streak and has goals in four of those outings.
- Tom Wilson is on a three-game point streak.
- Ovechkin sits at 822 career goals, 73 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record.
- John Carlson has eight points in nine games since returning from a fractured skull and severed temporal artery.
- Peter Laviolette opened up about what this game may mean, saying it's been a "grind" this season but adding that he's not focusing on whether this could be his final game behind the bench for Washington.
- Former Capitals netminder Vitke Vanecek will not dress for New Jersey, as he's being rested ahead of the playoffs.