Here's everything to know as the Capitals prepare for their annual mentors' trip.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — After a rough 5-2 loss at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens to kick off their return from the All-Star Break, the Washington Capitals got back to work with a high-spirited practice on Wednesday before taking off for their annual mentors' trip.
Washington practiced with their dads, brothers and other mentors watching from up high at MedStar Capitals Iceplex before heading to Florida to continue the family bonding.
The lines tweaked slightly for D.C., as Matthew Phillips, who has not played since Jan. 3, took Nicolas Aube-Kubel's spot on the fourth-line right wing, while the defensive pairings saw Martin Fehervary reunite with John Carlson.
Aube-Kubel and Ethan Bear stayed on for extra work, though it's unclear if they are definitely scratched for Thursday against the Panthers.
Meanwhile, Sonny Milano practiced in a regular jersey for the second straight day as he inches closer to a return. It has been almost two months since he suffered an upper-body injury after being spun around on a hit by Jacob Trouba back on Dec. 9 against the New York Rangers. The last time he played was on Dec. 10 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Head coach Spencer Carbery said Milano won't play on Thursday and that while there is potential he could play Saturday against the Boston Bruins, it's not likely.
Here are what the combinations looked like:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty-Connor McMichael-T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas-Michael Sgarbossa-Anthony Mantha
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Matthew Phillips
Nicolas Aube-Kubel-Sonny Milano
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Joel Edmundson-Nick Jensen
Alex Alexeyev-Ethan Bear
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Washington will hold an optional morning skate on Thursday before taking on the Florida Panthers.