The Washington Capitals are looking to get back in the win column after two poor outings in a row. They’ll try to do so against one of the NHL’s best teams in the Los Angeles Kings.
The Capitals jumped on the ice at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday for their morning skate and head coach Spencer Carbery had some lineup changes.
Rookie center Hendrix Lapierre will come out of the lineup. Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who was a healthy scratch against the San Jose Sharks, will get a jersey instead.
Carbery announced both moves in his post-skate media availability.
Lapierre healthy scratch comes after playing against San Jose due to TJ Oshie’s upper-body injury. The 21-year-old pivot played a team-low 9:04 of ice time against the Sharks. Lapierre’s line also struggled at five-on-five. With Lapierre on the ice, the Capitals saw negative differentials in shot attempts (-3), scoring chances (-3), and high-danger chances (-3). The Capitals did not create a single high-danger chance of their own during those minutes.
Lapierre will be joined by Alex Alexeyev and Lucas Johansen in the press box. Both young defensemen also sat out against the Sharks on Monday.
Aube-Kubel will play for the first time since last Friday’s 5-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. NAK has no points in his last four games after posting three (1g, 2a) in his first two games with the Capitals this season. He played a season-high 15:40 of ice time in the loss to Edmonton.
The only other change to the lineup will be Charlie Lindgren coming back into the net for another start. Darcy Kuemper will back him up after making 21 stops in San Jose. Lindgren has never played against the Kings in his career before.
Los Angeles will be a tough test for the Capitals as they come into the game with a 13-3-3 record. They boast the league’s best penalty kill and give up the fewest goals per game among all 32 teams (2.37).
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
