Here's everything to know from Capitals practice to kick off the New Year.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals got back to work to kick off 2024, putting all of 2023 behind them with a spirited practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, and they got some good news as well.
Martin Fehervary was on the ice for practice and a full-go for contact, reclaiming his spot on the top pairing alongside John Carlson. He was hurt after going head-first into the boards in Friday's loss to the New York Islanders and had missed Saturday's game against the Nashville Predators, but he figures to be back in based on rushes.
With Fehervary rejoining the mix, there needs to be a healthy scratch on the blue line, and that figures to be Nick Jensen. Jensen, who got just 14:53 minutes against the Predators, was put on an extra pairing with Alex Alexeyev on Monday and appears to be the one who will take a seat.
The rest of the defensive pairings also got a bit of a revamping, with Ethan Bear going to work with Joel Edmundson and Trevor van Riemsdyk going back on the second pairing with Rasmus Sandin. However, those pairings are not set in stone, and given Bear's utilization and impromptu move to work with No. 38 last game, Bear and Sandin could very well be back together for Tuesday's tilt with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Up front, the forward lines got another shakeup as head coach Spencer Carbery looks to keep sparking the offense. Evgeny Kuznetsov moved back to the first-line center spot and was reunited with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. In turn, Dylan Strome shifted down to the third line to operate with Matthew Phillips and Hendrix Lapierre. The "McProMo" and fourth lines stayed the same.
Max Pacioretty remains an extra, indicating that he will sit out once more. The team likely doesn't want to throw him right into a back-to-back scenario, so his debut could end up being Wednesday at home against the New Jersey Devils.
T.J. Oshie, Sonny Milano and Charlie Lindgren, who are all dealing with upper-body injuries, did not skate.
Here were the full combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Tom Wilson
Aliaksei Protas-Connor McMichael-Anthony Mantha
Hendrix Lapierre-Dylan Strome-Matthew Phillips
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Joel Edmundson-Ethan Bear
Darcy Kuemper
Hunter Shepard