Here's everything to know as the Capitals face the Maple Leafs.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals are back in the District for a meaningful game on Tuesday, as Spencer Carbery and Rasmus Sandin will face their former club in the Toronto Maple Leafs for their first time since their respective departures.
All the while, Washington (1-2-1) is looking to build on its performance in Montreal, which resulted in a 3-2 overtime loss but saw the club take a few steps forward when it comes to generating offense.
Here's everything to know before puck drop.
Washington Capitals Lines
The Capitals shook up their defensive pairings before Tuesday's tilt with Toronto, but the forward lines will remain the same as they were in Montreal.
Meanwhile, Hunter Shepard is up with the club now with Clay Stevenson going back down and Charlie Lindgren still making progress. He will make his NHL debut on Wednesday, but for Tuesday, he will back up.
Here are the projected combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Matthew Phillips
Connor McMichael-Evgeny Kuznetsov-T.J. Oshie
Sonny Milano-Nicklas Backstrom-Tom Wilson
Beck Malenstyn-Aliaksei Protas-Anthony Mantha
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Alex Alexeyev-Nick Jensen
Darcy Kuemper
Hunter Shepard
INJURY NOTES: Nic Dowd remains day-to-day... Charlie Lindgren is making progress but remains on the IR... Joel Edmundson has been skating before practice in a non-contact jersey but is also still on LTIR... Max Pacioretty has yet to skate and remains on the LTIR.
Washington Capitals Players To Watch
= Look for Sandin to try and make some noise against his former team. The hope for the organization is that the 23-year-old will break out and become a top defenseman who can help lead the core when the John Carlson era is over. It was an opportunity he didn't get with the Maple Leafs, so look for him to try and show them what they missed.
- Matthew Phillips has three points in four games to open the season. He is tied with Carlson for the team lead in scoring.
- Alex Ovechkin is still seeking goal No. 1 of the season, but he does have assists in back-to-back games. He and Nicklas Backstrom had a team-leading five shots against the Canadiens.
- Dylan Strome leads the team with two goals this season, both of which came in Montreal.
- Auston Matthews is the guy to watch on the Toronto side. He had back-to-back hat tricks to open the season, a feat last accomplished by Ovechkin in 2017-18. Washington won the Stanley Cup that year.
Puck drop is at 6 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.