Here's everything to know as the Capitals play host to the Sabres on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON — Coming off of a gutsy 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Washington Capitals have started to put the pieces together, and are looking to roll with it and make it five straight wins as they take on the Buffalo Sabres at home.
Here's everything to know before puck drop at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.
Washington Capitals Lines & Injury Report
Finally figuring things out on the forward lines, the Capitals aren't changing anything up front, as Evgeny Kuznetsov will miss his second straight game as he works his way back from an illness that also held him out of the lineup on Saturday.
On the blue line, things have shaken up a bit following the return of Joel Edmundson, as head coach Spencer Carbery and assistant Mitch Love got to see No. 6 in game action and evaluate where he'll fit. Edmundson, in turn, has moved to the top-4, and Alex Alexeyev is expected to get the call to return to the lineup after a couple of games in for Lucas Johansen.
In goal, Darcy Kuemper will make his return to the pipes after the last three starts have gone to Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren is 4-1-0 this season with a .940 save percentage, and he's undefeated with a .955 SV% in his last five starts.
Here are the projected line combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson
Anthony Mantha-Connor McMichael-T.J. Oshie
Sonny Milano-Hendrix Lapierre-Aliaksei Protas
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Rasmus Sandin-John Carlson
Joel Edmundson-Nick Jensen
Alex Alexeyev-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
On the injury front, Martin Fehervary will miss his fourth consecutive game but took a big step forward on Wednesday as he upgraded from non-contact and sakted with the group. Prior to Wednesday, the Slovak blueliner had not skated with the team since sustaining the lower-body injury on Nov. 10 against the New Jersey Devils.
Max Pacioretty is also still ramping up on his own and has yet to join the team. He is on the LTIR, along with Nicklas Backstrom, who's taking an indefinite leave of absence due to his hip.
Washington Capitals Keys To Success
Right now, defense and goaltending are the keys to success for Washington. The Capitals' offense is starting to come together slowly but surely, but the team's feeding off of Lindgren's recent phenomenal play, as well as a number of blocked shots. It will be vital for Washington to continue getting that from the blue line and Kuemper, who is playing in his first game since Nov. 8.
Getting the power play going and maintaining a high standard on the penalty kill is also on the to-do list; the Capitals' power play ranks dead-last at 7 percent, but on the bright side, the penalty kill has gone 10 straight games without allowing a PPG, shutting down 23 consecutive penalties against.
Washington Capitals Players To Watch
- After starting the season with two goals in 12 games, Alex Ovechkin has struck three times in his last three outings and appears to be getting his offense back slowly but surely.
- Aliaksei Protas has six points in his last five games, and his linemate Sonny Milano also has points in three of his last four games. Hendrix Lapierre busted out for three points on Saturday, so watch for him to make an impact again as he earns another game in his call-up.
- John Carlson leads all NHLers in time on ice per game, averaging 26:10 minutes a night. His defensive partner, Rasmus Sandin, leads the NHL in even-strength ice time per game with 21:59 minutes a night.