The Washington Capitals play longtime rival Pittsburgh on Thursday night, marking their final visit of the season to PPG Paints Arena.
The Capitals will be without Anthony Mantha and Joel Edmundson due to trade deadline deals. They’ll also potentially be without goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
According to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, Kuemper did not take the ice for the team’s morning skate and head coach Spencer Carbery revealed in his post-practice availability that the veteran backstop would be a game-time decision due to an illness.
Kuemper’s issues could throw a wrench into Carbery’s previous plans to give him the start against the Penguins. The Capitals are not carrying an extra goaltender so they may need to make a quick emergency recall from the AHL’s Hershey Bears who are currently on the road in Charlotte, NC.
If they are unable to bring up Hunter Shepard or Clay Stevenson in time, the team may be forced to have Pittsburgh’s emergency backup play second fiddle to Charlie Lindgren. There is also the added concern of playing Lindgren when the Capitals may receive a trade offer for the netminder before Friday’s deadline.
Fellow potential trade deadline target, Nic Dowd, will not play against the Penguins. Dowd has been skating in a non-contact jersey at practice but despite that, he looked like a “full go” as recently as Tuesday, according to Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman surmised on Monday that the Capitals are being extra careful with Dowd so that he doesn’t get injured any further ahead of the deadline.
Defenseman Martin Fehervary has also been in a non-contact jersey at recent skates and will join Dowd in not playing against Pittsburgh. After dealing Edmundson, the Capitals only have six defensemen on their active roster so both Alex Alexeyev and Ethan Bear will have to dress against the Penguins.
Given that no recall has been made yet from a forward perspective either, Ivan Miroshnichenko is set for his fifth career NHL game. Carbery had the rookie Russian on the team’s third line with Dylan Strome and Sonny Milano at Wednesday’s practice.
