The Capitals will have a different look as they take on the Kraken.
The Washington Capitals are looking to move on quickly from an ugly 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday and are getting a makeover as they take on the Seattle Kraken just 24 hours later.
Head coach Spencer Carbery, who emphasized the need for fresh bodies following the team's disappointing performance on the second game of its five-game road swing out west, announced a handful of changes before puck drop.
Aliaksei Protas will be back in after missing the last game due to a lower-body injury and will take Nicolas Aube-Kubel's spot, as NAK will be the healthy scratch up front.
Call-ups Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko will stay in the mix following impressive flashes of play in recent games. Miroshnichenko scored in the loss to the Oilers.
Meanwhile, on defense, Alex Alexeyev will get back into the mix and take Ethan Bear's place as Bear takes a seat yet again as a healthy scratch.
Charlie Lindgren will get the start, his seventh in eight games after Darcy Kuemper played on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers.
Carbery is looking for a better showing from his group and called the game a "significant challenge for D.C., who sits three points out of a Wild Card spot and has dropped both games to open a crucial trip that could determine the playoff race.
"Their identity is as consistent through a lineup as there is. Everybody's on the same page," Carbery said, adding, "They defend really, really well, they don't give you much... They're a handful. Given the circumstances and where we're at in the season, a good opportunity for our group to respond here with our backs against the wall."