Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has missed the team’s last three games with an upper-body injury. Head coach Peter Laviolette tells The Washington Post’s Roman Stubbs that The Great Eight will be a game-time decision for the team’s season finale against the New Jersey Devils.
Ovechkin took to the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for the team’s morning skate before the game. He skated on a line centered by Nicklas Backstrom and practiced with the first power-play unit.
Ovechkin has 42 goals and 74 points this season in 72 games. Both totals lead the Caps. Over his past four games before leaving the lineup due to his injury, Ovechkin had just five shots on goal.
He has missed nine games this season. Five of them due to injury and four due to bereavement leave.
With their leader back, here is how Laviolette put together the Caps’ lines via NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Smith
Sheary-Strome-Wilson
Milano-Kuznetsov-Snively/Mantha
Malenstyn-Protas-NAK
Fehervary-Carlson
Sandin-Jensen
Alexeyev-TVR
Ovechkin and Backstrom have been a longtime duo with the Caps but have played sparingly together this year. At five-on-five, they’ve shared the ice for just over 43 minutes and the team has suffered in those minutes. They hold massively negative differentials in shot attempts (-30), scoring chances (-14), and high-danger chances (-5).
Anthony Mantha and Trevor van Riemsdyk joined Ovechkin on the ice for the skate. Mantha has not played since April 2 and TVR has not laced up his skates since March 30. Despite their attendance, both players told Gulitti that they would not be playing on Thursday and are done for the season.
Matt Irwin did not skate at all and was also listed as a game-time decision, which means the Caps could likely be playing down a man on the bench once again to end the season.
Darcy Kuemper will get his 56th start of the season against New Jersey. Kuemper has not had a fun April, posting a 1-2 record in four appearances with a 4.07 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage. College netminder Reid Cooper, who signed to an amateur tryout agreement earlier in the day, will serve as his backup due to an injury to regular backup Charlie Lindgren.
The Devils will come into the action still with something to play for despite already racking up 110 points this season and clinching a playoff spot. If they beat the Caps and the Carolina Hurricanes lose to the Florida Panthers the Devils will win the Metropolitan Division and play one of the wild-card teams in the first round.
The game also has large implications for the Capitals’ draft lottery position. If they lose to the Devils they will clinch the eighth-best odds of selecting first overall.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
