The Capitals face the Mammoth in a pivotal game on Tuesday.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals didn't have much of a crowd at their morning skate on Tuesday, with several players taking the option and getting some rest ahead of a critical showdown against the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.
It's another must-win matchup for Washington, who has won two of three games out of the break and is approaching the NHL Trade Deadline while sitting two points back of playoff position.
That said, everyone knows that they have to be ready.
"They're a handful," coach Spencer Carbery said of the Mammoth's young arsenal.
Alex Ovechkin took part in the lightly attended optional morning skate after having taken a maintenance day on Monday. He, and all the other team's forwards, are available for Tuesday's tilt, and Hendrix Lapierre is expected to sit out again as the healthy scratch up front.
On the backend, the Capitals continue to see progress from John Carlson, who skated with the group again and remains in a non-contact jersey. He will miss his fourth straight game with a lower-body injury, though he's still considered day-to-day, per Carbery.
The only lineup changes are that Aliaksei Protas will not dress for personal reasons, and Dylan McIlrath will draw in for Declan Chisholm on the backend.
Here are the projected combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Anthony Beauvillier
Connor McMichael-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson
Justin Sourdif-Nic Dowd-Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime-Hendrix Lapierre-Ethen Frank
Martin Fehervary-Rasmus Sandin
Jakob Chychrun-Matt Roy
Trevor van Riemsdyk-Dylan McIlrath
Logan Thompson gets the start against Utah, with Charlie Lindgren backing up.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena.