Here's everything to know as the Capitals brace for the Wild.
The Washington Capitals left St. Louis with one hard lesson learned following a 3-0 shutout loss to the Blues: there's work to do and ways to get better. They'll look to implement that as they make some changes and take on the Minnesota Wild at a critical point in the campaign.
Here's everything to know before puck drop at Xcel Energy Center at 8 p.m. ET:
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
Head coach Spencer Carbery hinted at some notable changes to the forward lines after Saturday's loss and also noted that the 5-on-5 offense needs to find answers and fast, given the team has continuously struggled to find twine and currently sits three points out of a playoff spot right before the All-Star break.
Not only are things going to change up front, but the blue line will look different with Rasmus Sandin making his return from injury. Ethan Bear is a healthy scratch, and Trevor van Riemsdyk will also return and slot in for Alex Alexeyev, who got three games in following 24 consecutive healthy scratches.
Darcy Kuemper will get the start with Charlie Lindgren expected to go on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche.
Here are the lines:
Alex Ovechkin-d Connor McMichael-Aliaksei Protas
Max Pacioretty-Dylan Strome-T.J. Oshie
Anthony Mantha-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Tom Wilson
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Joel Edmundson-Nick Jensen
Washington Capitals Injury Report
- Sonny Milano (upper-body) will miss his 21st consecutive game with injury and did not make the road trip, indicating that he will not return until after the All-Star break. There have been no setbacks, per Carbery, but there hasn't been a lot of progress.
- Nicklas Backstrom (hip) did make the trip but is not skating, nor have any decisions been made regarding his future or next steps. He remains on indefinite leave due to complications from resurfacing surgery he underwent in June.
Washington Capitals Storylines
- T.J. Oshie has six points in his last six games and, before Saturday's shutout loss to the St. Louis Blues, was on a three-game point streak.
- Alex Ovechkin has points in seven of his last eight outings.
- Nic Dowd has seven points in his last 11 outings.
- Oshie, Dowd, Kuemper, Lindgren and Nick Jensen all have ties back to Minnesota. Dowd, Lindgren and Jensen all played for St. Cloud State — and were housemates.
How To Watch Capitals vs. Wild
The Capitals and Wild will face off on Monumental Sports Network. It will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
Fans can also tune in on Caps Radio 24/7 and 106.7 FM.