The Capitals’ tilt with the Red Wings is a crucial one as they look to snap a six-game slide and reenter the playoff picture.
The Washington Capitals are going into a crucial game against the Detroit Red Wings that has heavy implications, and the lineup will get a shakeup for it.
T.J. Oshie will be a game-time decision on Tuesday against the Red Wing, head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters in Detroit.
Oshie has missed the last four games due to an upper-body injury. He has been skating and getting his legs back under him and said he feels good, but the team will decide whether he’s 100 percent set to return in warmups.
If Oshie can’t dress, Mike Sgarbossa will suit up in his place.
Meanwhile, Ivan Miroshnichenko will take a seat and be the odd man out as a healthy scratch, while Nicolas Aube-Kubel will be back in the lineup.
Carbery said that Miroshnichenko’s play has taken a bit of a step back of late, and a scratch will give him the opportunity to reset whole allowing Aube-Kubel to show what he can do in a vital game for D.C.
“He’s been put in a real tough position,” Carbery said of Miroshnichenko.
As for how long Miroshnichenko will be on the sidelines, Carbery said it’s possible he could draw back in as soon as Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.
Charlie Lindgren will get the start once again as the Capitals look to bolster their playoff odds and steal back the second Wild Card spot.
Puck drop is at Little Caesar’s Arena at 7 p.m. ET as Washington looks to put an end to a six-game losing streak.