The Washington Capitals set out on their first road trip of the preseason on Saturday. The Caps are headed to Motown to take on the Detroit Red Wings for the second time in just three days.
The Capitals lineup tonight will feature predominantly a mix of prospects and minor leaguers, which is different from Thursday where head coach Spencer Carbery played the team’s superstar core. Hunter Shepard, the Hershey Bears’ presumed number one starter this season, will play the full game against Detroit.
Hunter Shepard will start tonight in DET and will play the whole game, Coach Spencer Carbery said. #Caps
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) September 30, 2023
Shepard will be backed up by Charlie Lindgren after Lindgren played all 60 minutes in the Capitals’ 4-2 victory on Thursday. The game will be Shepard’s second appearance of the preseason after he pitched a shutout in 31:34 of ice time against the Buffalo Sabres.
Shepard, 27, is coming off a season where he distinguished himself in the AHL as Hershey’s starter, earning a bulk of the team’s starts (33 games played). In those outings, he posted a 20-8-5-1 record, 2.18 goals against average, a .916 save percentage, and one shutout.
But it was in the playoffs where Shepard truly shined, taking home the AHL’s Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as Calder Cup Playoffs MVP. He racked up a 14-6 overall postseason record with a .914 save percentage, 2.27 goals-against average, and three shutouts.
Shepard started every single game on the way to winning the championship. Over the offseason, he signed a two-year, two-way extension with the Caps on the first day of free agency.
Motown bound pic.twitter.com/w3GrKZwX5b
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 30, 2023
The full roster for the game was revealed by the Caps on Friday. Ethen Frank, Beck Malenstyn, Bogdan Trineyev, and Chase Priskie all appear slated to make their preseason debuts. Forward prospects Hendrix Lapierre, Riley Sutter, and Ryan Hofer will also get jerseys.
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
