The Washington Capitals are looking for some revenge on the Winnipeg Jets after the Jets handed them a 3-0 loss two weeks ago. The team is honoring TJ Oshie before their game on Sunday afternoon for playing in his 1,000th NHL game and head coach Spencer Carbery revealed pregame that Oshie is set to return to the lineup from his injury as well.
Both Oshie and Aliaksei Protas have been missing due to their respective injuries for the past two games. Barring any late setbacks, they’ll both feature against the Jets.
Carbery spoke about what it means for his team to get Oshie back on the ice especially when every game matters for the Capitals right now regarding their push for a playoff spot.
“Makes a huge difference,” he said. “I find even of late, missing a little bit of his poise with the puck, his calming presence on the ice when things get a little bit scrambly and we start to lose momentum. He’s a guy that can not only with his voice from a leadership standpoint but also on the ice he can calm things down because he can find a way out of a situation with a lot of poise and calmness.
“Where a lot of times you get in those scenarios where there’s panic, there’s icings, there’s turnovers. He handles those situations as good as anybody I’ve been around with his poise. I think that shows up a lot when we’ve lost momentum in a game. He can really help a team out of those situations.”
Two of Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Mike Sgarbossa, and Matthew Phillips will likely come out of the lineup and be replaced by Oshie and Protas. The Capitals will be without Tom Wilson for the second game of his six-game, NHL-levied suspension.
Carbery also confirmed that Charlie Lindgren will be receiving his 10th start in the month of March. Lindgren is 7-3 this month with a 2.45 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage, and one shutout.
The Jets are riding a two-game losing streak after falling Saturday afternoon 6-3 to the New York Islanders. They currently sit third in the NHL’s Central Division with 93 points from 70 games played.
