The Washington Capitals are set to play their fifth game of the preseason on Thursday night.
The Caps, who most recently beat the Bruins in Boston to earn a 2-1-1 record, will travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets.
New head coach Spencer Carbery’s roster will feature his captain Alex Ovechkin for the second time this preseason. Joining Ovi is a mix of depth players still fighting for roster spots, prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko, and three names recalled on Thursday morning from Hershey’s Training Camp.
Check out our roster for the final road trip of the preseason.#CapsJackets | #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/X1Z5tUfK7M
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 5, 2023
Ovechkin previously played against the Detroit Red Wings in the team’s second preseason game. He skated on a line in that game with Miroshnichenko and longtime running mate Nicklas Backstrom. Backstrom will not dress against Columbus so it’s likely the two Russian wingers will see Connor McMichael center them on the team’s top line as they did at practice on Wednesday.
McMichael, who has played wing the entirety of the preseason to this point, confirmed that he would be playing center but was coy about who would be on his wings.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say,” McMichael said. “Obviously, it’d be a little nerve racking [playing with Ovechkin]. I don’t think I’ve played with him before. He’s obviously a great player and you’re always looking to try and get him the puck. I’ll just try and keep my game simple and get him the puck.”
Oddly, the team also recalled three players from Hershey’s Training Camp to travel to Columbus. Ethen Frank, Riley Sutter, and Chase Priskie will all play against the Blue Jackets after being cut from the team just four days ago.
“Tonight, I would say the objective is for some young players to get some final opportunity to showcase their skill set and their ability to integrate things that we’ve talked about over the last couple of weeks,” Carbery said.”
Training Camp Roster Update: #Caps recall forwards Riley Sutter and Ethen Frank and defenseman Chase Priskie from Hershey (AHL).
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) October 5, 2023
Sutter and Priskie both had to clear waivers to be sent down in that batch of cuts. They will not need to clear waivers again if they are sent down after this game as they will not have been on the active NHL roster for a cumulative 30 days since last clearing.
Thursday’s game will also feature many names that have dressed three times in the preseason already. Aliaksei Protas, Anthony Mantha, Matthew Phillips, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Hardy Haman Aktell, Alex Alexeyev, and Lucas Johansen will all be seeing the ice for the fourth time.
Phillips will get into another game after scoring the overtime winner in Boston and impressing Carbery and staff throughout camp. Overall, Phillips has three points (2g, 1a) in the three games he has already seen.
“He’s done a really good job through Training Camp,” Carbery said. “You’re starting to see a player that is obviously undersized but it doesn’t affect him a whole lot when it comes to his compete level, ability to get in on the forecheck, and win loose pucks.
“He’s going to get bumped around a little bit but we’ve just found his game to be really effective of keeping pucks alive, making plays when they’re available, and being in good spots within the structure part we talked about. He’s been dialed in. He’s doing a good job of making a case for himself.”
On the flip side, both Alex Limoges and Nick Jensen will be making their preseason debuts. In goal, Charlie Lindgren start and play the full game.
The Blue Jackets will also be dressing a bit of mixed lineup.
BACK AT IT TONIGHT 🤩
📝 https://t.co/v4FN0lfvVa pic.twitter.com/G9RWvrcDH4
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 5, 2023
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
