Here's everything to know as the Capitals look to bounce back against the Avalanche.
After a disappointing 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild that featured a deficit too big to overcome, the Washington Capitals are getting right back at it with another key Western Conference showdown, this time against the Colorado Avalanche.
Here's everything to know before puck drop at 9:30 p.m. at Ball Arena.
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
The Capitals again struggled to get 5-on-5 offense going over the course of the game against Minnesota but managed to get three on the board as a late comeback attempt proved too little, too late.
Still, head coach Spencer Carbery saw some potential with his Mantha-Kuznetsov-Wilson combination, and he made some more changes over the course of the game. Up front, he's making more tweaks, most notably reuniting Ovechkin-Strome-Pacioretty.
As for the defense, there are some notable changes as Rasmus Sandin returns to the top pair and Ethan Bear draws back in after a healthy scratch on Wednesday. Trevor van Riemsdyk is the odd man out.
Here are projected combinations against Colorado:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Max Pacioretty
Aliaksei Protas-Connor McMichael-T.J. Oshie
Anthony Mantha-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Tom Wilson
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Rasmus Sandin-John Carlson
Martin Fehervary-Ethan Bear
Joel Edmundson-Nick Jensen
Charlie Lindgren will get the start, with Darcy Kuemper backing up following his start in Minnesota.
Washington Capitals Injury Report
- Sonny Milano (upper-body) will miss his 22nd consecutive game with injury. He is not on this trip, so expect him back after the All-Star Break.
- Nicklas Backstrom (hip) is on the trip but not skating. He remains away from the team indefinitely due to complications and his hip not responding as he'd hoped following hip resurfacing surgery in June 2022.
Washington Capitals Storylines
- Mantha struck twice on Tuesday and now has 14 goals on the season, and he has scored the Capitals' first goal of the game 10 times this season.
- T.J. Oshie scored against Minnesota and has six goals in his last six games.
- Martin Fehervary has assists in three of his last four outings.
- Nic Dowd has eight points in his last eight games.
How To Watch Capitals vs. Avalanche
The Capitals and Avalanche will face off on Monumental Sports Network. It will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
Fans can also tune in on Caps Radio 24/7 and 106.7 FM.