ARLINGTON, VA. — For the first time in seven years, the Washington Capitals will play in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they host the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 1 on Tuesday.
Washington is sticking with the same lineup, with Logan Thompson starting and Taylor Raddysh, Ethen Frank, Dylan McIlrath and Ethan Bear sitting as the extras.
Here are the expected Game 1 combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Anthony Beauvillier
Connor McMichael-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson
Andrew Mangiapane-Lars Eller-Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Aliaksei Protas
Rasmus Sandin-Matt Roy
Alex Alexeyev-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Jakob Chychrun-John Carlson
Protas will start on the fourth line as he continues to get back into the swing of things following his return from a skate cut to the foot, though coach Spencer Carbery plans to assess his progress and move him in the lineup accordingly as time goes on.
Still, he liked what Protas brought to that trio with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime in Game 5 against the Montreal Canadiens and wants to see him replicate that success in Round 2.
“He should continue to feel more comfortable and can have a massive impact on that series,” Carbery said.
Washington is expecting a rough-and-tumble matchup against Carolina, who piles pucks on net and thrives on special teams. The last few days have been filled with rest, skating and a lot of film, and D.C. feels ready to go.
“Everybody knows their style: aggressive, lots of speed, lots of shots, so we have to be ready for it,” Alex Ovechkin said.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.