The Capitals considered quite a bit with regard to who to bring up amid injuries and a suspension pending for Tom Wilson.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals are in a tough situation with Tom Wilson facing a lengthy suspension and T.J. Oshie and Aliaksei Protas injured, so they have to turn to their youth as the playoff push continues. And their first choice of a call-up: Matthew Phillips.

Phillips, who has played in four games with the AHL's Hershey Bears since being reclaimed off waivers, has been called up to help fill the void, and he will be back in the lineup on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

For head coach Spencer Carbery, bringing Phillips back up wasn't an easy decision, as there was a lot to consider. Joe Snively and Pierrick Dubé are just two players who have been up with D.C. at one point this season, and Ethen Frank is still waiting on his first NHL call-up, along with Alex Limoges.

However, at the end of the day, Phillips made the most sense for the group with the team just three points out of a playoff spot with 14 games left on the regular season circuit.

"The way we felt as a staff, you can make an argument for a lot of different guys that have either A) played for us this year that are currently in Hershey or B) some guys that have played real well that are looking for their first opportunity to play in the National Hockey League. There's really strong arguments on both sides," Carbery said. "The reason we go with Phillips at this junction of the year and the magnitude of these next few games to be able to stay in the fight, we prioritize someone that has been a part of the group, knows the system inside and out and can make it as seamless as possible.

Phillips has appeared in 27 games for the Capitals this season, posting one goal and four assists. He was waived in February with the team needing to make space for returning injured players and had been picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he was waived and brought back to D.C. after three games and a few weeks with the Penguins.

Washington faces Carolina at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.