The Washington Capitals took their morning skate on Tuesday after we learned on Monday that defenseman Martin Fehervary would be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The Capitals have a date with the New Jersey Devils inside Capital One Arena and head coach Spencer Carbery has had to shift around his defense pairings for the game due to Fehervary’s absence.
Trevor van Riemsdyk will receive the promotion to the team’s top pairing to play alongside John Carlson. Ethan Bear will also draw back into the lineup after he sat out against the Montreal Canadiens this past weekend.
Here is how the pairings should look to start the game.
Carbery did admit during his pregame media availability that the pairings could shift and change depending on game context.
“We’ll probably move some things around,” Carbery said. “TVR will move to his off-side. Could see him starting with John. We’ve liked Sandy and Jens together. Then it gets Eddy and Bear back together. I have a feeling we’ll move it around a little bit based on situational stuff, line-matchup-wise. But, that’s the way we’ll start.”
TVR skated 21:53 of ice time against Montreal after being kept out of action for three games. The 32-year-old blueliner hasn’t spent a ton of time next to Carlson this season. They’ve shared the ice for 41:06 at five-on-five and the Capitals have been outscored 1-0 in those minutes.
Bear has gotten into 16 total games with the Capitals since signing with the team in late December. He is skating 15:41 of average ice time per game this season, the lowest of his career which spans six NHL seasons. In four February outings, he has seen the ice for an average of just 13:13 per game.
According to The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson, Alex Alexeyev and Nicolas Aube-Kubel took the scratches skate and will sit out healthy again.
Jersey prep#ALLCAPS | @MedStarHealth pic.twitter.com/crsHeDH840
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 20, 2024
Charlie Lindgren will get the start in goal against New Jersey. Lindgren was the netminder of record when the Capitals took down the Devils on the road in November. Carbery is continuing to split the starts between Lindgren and Darcy Kuemper as this will be Lindgren’s fourth in February compared to Kuemper’s three.
Like the Capitals, the Devils currently sit on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. New Jersey is four points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card spot and five points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division.
