The Washington Capitals will get back on the ice for their first taste of post-Christmas action on Wednesday night when they square off with the New York Rangers. The Capitals got in their first skate since the holiday break on Wednesday morning and several players on the verge of comebacks from injury were on the ice.
According to The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson, Veteran forwards TJ Oshie and Max Pacioretty were joined by defenseman Ethan Bear on the ice for practice. Oshie has been out since December 17 with a lower-body injury that forced him onto injured reserve while Pacioretty is still recovering from his second Achilles tendon tear. Bear is finishing up his offseason shoulder surgery rehab.
While none of the three will dress against the Rangers, they’re all closing in on lineup spots in the very near future.
The Capitals will ultimately dress the same exact lineup that they did in their last matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning per Johnson. That means rookie forwards Ivan Miroshnichenko and Hendrix Lapierre will get at least one more NHL game after their second joint recall from the AHL’s Hershey Bears in the morning.
Miroshnichenko is still looking for his first NHL point after skating 28:38 of total ice time and firing four shots on goal in his first three NHL games. Lapierre has been held off the scoresheet in his past two outings after a two-point night against the Islanders a week ago.
Here’s how the full team looked the last we left them in their 2-1 shootout loss on home ice to Tampa Bay.
Lineys!#CapsBolts | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/ZQS5QxWNoQ
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 23, 2023
The Capitals are currently carrying a roster of 22 players, meaning they have one more free spot available to sign Bear in the coming days which is expected. After that, more decisions will need to be made as the team will have Oshie, Pacioretty, and Sonny Milano all nearing returns.
Miroshnichenko and Lapierre being sent back down appears to be the obvious move for two spots but a third spot will likely require someone like Alex Alexeyev or Matthew Phillips being placed on waivers. The only other waiver exempt skaters the team has are Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas and it’s clear those two are in the NHL to stay.
The only lineup change from Saturday’s contest will come in net as Darcy Kuemper will retake the starter reins from Charlie Lindgren. Kuemper, in a backup role, has been terrific in his last three starts, going 3-0 with a 1.61 goals-against average, a .947 save percentage, and stopping 2.92 goals more than expected.
New York will come into the game sitting atop the Metropolitan Division, eight points ahead of the Capitals in the standings. The Capitals did pick up a dominant 4-0 win over the Rangers in the two sides’ only matchup so far this season just over two weeks ago.
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
