The Washington Capitals will take the ice for their fourth game of the preseason Tuesday night.
The Caps, who have a 1-1-1 record thus far, will travel to Beantown to take on the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
Spencer Carbery’s lineup will feature most of the team’s veterans and a mix of depth players engrossed in battles for final roster spots. Notably, all of the Capitals’ four starting centers will suit up but the team’s captain, Alex Ovechkin, will not.
Suiting up for tonight's preseason contest in Boston.#CapsBruins | #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/MdNAhI13EU
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 3, 2023
Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Nic Dowd will play their second games of the preseason while Dylan Strome, who leads the team in points (1g, 2a), will appear in his third.
“For tonight, it gives us a ton of stability down the middle and veteran guys,” Carbery said. “So how that relates to the wingers and some of our guys battling for spots, positionally, roster-wise, is it gives you a good chance to have success with all four of those guys, no matter where you’re slotted lineup-wise. So they should be chomping at the bit, right? Whether you’re playing with Nic Dowd, Nick Backstrom, or any of those guys for that matter.”
Forward Matthew Phillips will get another opportunity to prove that he belongs after tallying a goal and an assist in his last appearance. Phillips skated on the Capitals’ first line during the team’s Training Camp sessions on Monday and Carbery was effusive about his performance.
Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel will also continue their battle to start the season in a checking line role with Nic Dowd.
On defense, Swedish defenseman Hardy Haman Aktell will play again as he tries to win Joel Edmundson’s vacant third pairing spot. Haman Aktell impressed in Washington’s 5-2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
“He’s been one of the pleasant surprises of camp because it’s hard to evaluate when we watch the film from the SHL,” Carbery said. “It’s really, really difficult because of the ice and the play. You can see him move around, his size, and his stick but you really don’t know. He’s been a real pleasant surprise. I’ve liked his game a lot.”
Vincent Iorio and Lucas Johansen will also try to make their mark on Carbery as they complete the backend with John Carlson, Rasmus Sandin, and Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Darcy Kuemper will get the start in goal and play the entire game.
While winning is always the goal, Carbery would most like to see his team put together a complete effort from start to finish.
“We’re looking for a more complete sort of polish,” Carbery said. “There’s one specific — our start. I’m starting to see a trend that carried over a little bit from last year, when we dive into the numbers. I know we were heavily outscored in the first period overall through 82 games and now first three preseason games. I want to see us start. And I know that there’s challenges to that with the travel and being on the road, but we need to be ready to play.
“That’s an important part and being able to get off on the right foot and not dig ourselves out of a hole, whether it’s on the scoreboard or just in general with our game, trying to find our footing and trying to bring shifts together. That’s something specific. And then we should now, with the lineup of where we’re at roster wise, it should be a lot cleaner, more polished in all areas. Special teams, five on five. So that’s what we’re looking for.”
The Bruins, too, are closing in on their Opening Night roster with Tuesday night’s lineup.
#NHLBruins morning rushes:
Marchand – Poitras – Frederic
van Riemsdyk – Zacha – Pastrnak
Lucic – Beecher – Lauko
Kuntar – Megna – HeinenLohrei – McAvoy
Zboril – Grzelcyk
Forbort – ShattenkirkUllmark
Bussi pic.twitter.com/3VqRmXRTJS— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 3, 2023
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
