Here's everything to know as the Capitals visit the Ducks in the second game of a California back-to-back.
Less than 24 hours after securing a tight 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, the Washington Capitals are looking to build on that showing as they close out their California road trip against the Anaheim Ducks.
The game is at 10 p.m. ET at Honda Center, and it also marks the first time Dylan Strome will face his brother, Ryan, this year.
Here's everything to know before puck drop.
Washington Capitals Lines & Injury Report
The Capitals are mainly sticking with what worked against the Kings, as they'll keep things mostly intact — with two exceptions. Matthew Phillips will draw out, with Hendrix Lapierre coming back in, while Darcy Kuemper will get the second game of the back-to-back after Charlie Lindgren's 37-save performance against L.A.
Though Lapierre has only played center this season, there is reason to believe he will simply take Phillips' spot given the dynamic on the Protas-McMichael-Mantha trio.
That said, here are the line combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael-Dylan Strome-Anthony Mantha
Sonny Milano-Hendrix Lapierre-Aliaksei Protas
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Joel Edmundson-Nick Jensen
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
As for outstanding injuries, T.J. Oshie (upper-body) remains home and on the injured reserve, while Max Pacioretty (Achilles) remains on LTIR as he continues to ramp up to getting back to work with D.C. Nothing has changed on the Nicklas Backstrom front, as he is remaining away from the game indefinitely due to hip issues.
Washington Capitals Keys To Success
It was all Lindgren and defense in Wednesday's win over the Kings, and translating that strong outing over will be huge. The Capitals need their players to continue to block shots, sacrifice the body and be aggressive on the backcheck against a young Ducks team with a lot of talent. Anaheim ranks only two spots over Washington in goals per game (2.68), but the team can't underestimate the names that are in the mix.
On the flip side, the offense needs to bust out. The team saw its third line bust out and Connor McMichael and Anthony Mantha score on Wednesday, but the top-6 needs to generate against a team like Anaheim, which surrenders the ninth-most goals per game in the (3.47).
That doesn't just mean 5-on-5 scoring, but the power play needs to get something going. The Capitals are 0-for-31 in their last 12 games, and their 5.9 PP percentage is the worst in the league. Getting something going against the Ducks, who have under 80 percent success on the penalty kill, will be key between these low-scoring clubs.
Washington Capitals Players To Watch
- McMichael and Mantha (1G, 1A) and Aliaksei Protas (2A) all had multi-point outings last night.
- Protas also took the title of the team's leading scorer at 5-on-5 this season.
- Tom Wilson is playing in his 700th career NHL game tonight.
- Alex Ovechkin logged a career-low 13:49 minutes against the Kings on Wednesday, so look for him to come back and hungry for more time and scoring.