The Washington Capitals will open the new year with a Metro-Division tilt against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tuesday night.
Monday morning, Washington took the ice for the first time in 2024 for practice with some promising updates on injured players coming after the skate concluded.
According to The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson, Charlie Lindgren could see playing time as early as Friday, but will “definitely” not dress the next two games. Carbery gave a promising update on Lindgren’s status two days ago, stating that the 30-year-old netminder was doing “better than expected.”
With Lindgren still out, Darcy Kuemper or Hunter Shepard will get the start against Pittsburgh. Shepard started the Capitals’ last matchup against the Nashville Predators, which ended in a 3-2 shootout loss. Shepard made 34 stops on the night, posting a .944 save percentage. Kuemper has allowed a combined 10 goals over his last two starts.
Defenseman Martin Fehervary was wearing a normal jersey at practice, and there is a possibility he could return against Pittsburgh. If the young Slovak does indeed return to the lineup this week, the Capitals will be in a crunch assigning their healthy defensemen to pairings. Ethan Bear’s recent signing means the team is now carrying eight blueliners on their roster.
Up front, neither TJ Oshie nor Sonny Milano skated at practice, and head coach Spencer Carbery is “not positive” about their returns. Oshie has been listed as day-to-day while Milano is listed as week-to-week.
Veteran forward Max Pacioretty, who is recovering from a second Achilles tear, is expected to make his return “in the next week,” per Carbery.
While the rookie bench boss and his staff are still toying with the team’s lines and pairings, the Capitals should roll out a similar group to the one that played against Nashville. The biggest prospective change is Pacioretty’s looming return, and he rotated in for line rushes at practice as he looks for a fit on the wing.
The 35-year-old forward’s return would likely result in the healthy scratch of one of two rookie forwards, Matthew Phillips or Hendrix Lapierre. The two youngsters, along with Ivan Miroshnichenko who was sent down to Hershey last week, have been filling in for the Capitals when called upon due to injuries higher up the depth chart. As things currently stand, Lapierre and Phillips are set to flank Dylan Strome on the Capitals’ third line.
The Capitals have not faced Pittsburgh since losing to them 4-0 at Capital One Arena on October 13th in the Caps’ season opener. The two clubs are currently tied in the standings with 40 points each, and the Caps have a game in hand.
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
