The Capitals held their first full practice of the postseason on Friday.
The Capitals held their first full practice of the postseason on Friday.
The Washington Capitals held their first full practice of the postseason on Friday, as Alex Ovechkin, Charlie Lindgren and more took the ice ahead of their first-round series against the New York Rangers.
Washington didn't see injured blueliners Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin skate with the group, but they both skated individually and are still available for Sunday. Both are recovering from upper-body injuries that they sustained on big hits along the boards.
In the meantime, D.C. stuck with the same line combinations that helped secure a playoff spot in the first place.
Here are the lines the Capitals are running with:
Alex Ovechkin-Connor McMichael-T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty-Hendrix Lapierre-Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Alex Alexeyev-Dylan McIlrath
Trevor van Riemsdyk-Vincent Iorio
Charlie Lindgren will be the starter to open the playoffs, with Darcy Kuemper backing up. Mitchell Gibson will serve as D.C.'s third goaltender for the playoff run in case of emergency.
When Jensen and Sandin are ready to return to the mix, expect Vincent Iorio and Dylan McIlrath to draw back out of the lineup. For now, though, they're staying in and taking on bigger roles.
"I was asked to explain the vibes in one word, I said, 'Immaculate,'" McIlrath said. "That's the goal... it's really exciting. I'm just trying to soak it all in and have some fun with it.
"My game complements the playoff style. It's very defensive... it's going to be a gritty style of game, and that's when I obviously play my best hockey," he added.