The Washington Capitals will take on the New York Islanders on Wednesday at Capital One Arena after a couple of days of practice. The Caps got on the ice for their morning skate and their full complement of forwards was present.
That included injured winger Sonny Milano who skated in a non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering his upper-body injury. He is not expected to dress against the Islanders.
Milano’s injury was originally announced by the team last Saturday before their 4-3 loss on the road to the Pittsburgh Penguins. At the time of the announcement, it was said that Milano would be out for at least a week.
That diagnosis should see Milano not only miss the game against New York but also miss Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Milano not factored into the lineup here is how we should expect the Caps to look based on their last practice line rushes.
Ovechkin-Strome-Wilson
Mantha-Kuznetsov-Smith
Protas-Backstrom-Oshie
Sheary-Dowd-NAK
Fehervary-Carlson
Sandin-Jensen
Alexeyev-TVR
Alex Ovechkin and Nic Dowd were both on the ice for the morning skate after missing practice time this week for maintenance. The four forward lines remain the exact same from the start of the game in Pittsburgh.
Darcy Kuemper is expected to get the start in net for the Caps. It will be Kuemper’s 350th career NHL game. In the month of March, Kuemper has amassed a 4-4-1 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
CAPS TODAY: Darcy Kuemper is expected to start tonight vs. the Islanders, which will mark his 350th NHL game. Kuemper has won his last three starts vs. New York (3-0-0, 2.29 GAA, .924 SV%) and his five shutout this season are tied for the most in the NHL. https://t.co/HecIC0ECg1 pic.twitter.com/2nAKuGFNIM
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) March 29, 2023
The Islanders come into the action still clinging to a wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They currently sit three points ahead of the Penguins for the first wild-card position.
With Saturday’s loss in regulation to the Pens, the Caps now sit six points behind them for the second position.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
