The Capitals will be shorthanded again when they face the Islanders.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals are back home on Monday for one of their final games before the Olympic break, and it's a big one against the Metropolitan Division rival New York Islanders.
Washington could get a boost on the blue line, as Matt Roy took morning skate and will be a game-time decision against New York. Declan Chisholm and Dylan McIlrath took the scratches' skate, as did Bogdan Trineyev.
While Roy could return, the Capitals are still dealing with a number of injuries.
Connor McMichael is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, and Charlie Lindgren is also out through the break, though is expected to be back shortly after the team returns.
As for Logan Thompson, the 28-year-old took morning skate, but will be out for Monday's meeting with the Islanders and Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The hope is that he will play on Thursday against the Nashville Predators before leaving for Italy for the Olympics.
With Thompson still out, Clay Stevenson will start on Monday. It's possible he could play the second half of the back-to-back Tuesday as well, but Spencer Carbery didn't rule out Garin Bjorklund potentially making his NHL debut.
Meanwhile, Pierre-Luc Dubois is still progressing, but will likely not be back until after the break.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena. It's a crucial game for the Capitals, who are out of a playoff spot and sit just a handful of points behind the Islanders for third in the Metro.