Hendrix Lapierre will not be in the Washington Capitals’ lineup against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. The 22-year-old center will be a healthy scratch for the third time this season.
Mike Sgarbossa, recalled from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Saturday afternoon, will replace Lapierre on the club’s third line as he did in two previous late October games. Head coach Spencer is still trying to find consistent play from that unit.
“I thought there was some good [last night], and I thought there were some shifts where we struggled,” Carbery said pregame. “So, it was a mixed bag. They scored a huge goal, [Vrana] and [Mangiapane] on that 2-on-1. Lappy will come out, Sgarbs will go in, and hopefully, that line will get going tonight.”
From a skaters’ perspective, the only other change from the loss to the Penguins on Friday night will be Jakob Chychrun returning from injury. Chychrun has been out of the lineup since suffering an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers on October 29. His return means Washington will have their full-strength defense group back in action to start a game for just the second time.
“Yeah, [Chychrun’s] in the lineup, Carbery said. “It’ll be good to get [him] back in the lineup. He hasn’t played in a bit, but we’re still trying to find our footing, and it’s going to take some time to get everyone blended together. I just want to see a more well-rounded game from our group overall.”
Saturday’s projected lineup
Saturday’s game will also be Vrana’s first against the Blues since he left as a free agent last July. Vrana played parts of two seasons in St. Louis, recording 20 points (12g, 8a) in 41 games.
“I’m sure he’s extremely motivated,” Carbery said.
Suited for Saturday in St. Louis#ALLCAPS | @Kia pic.twitter.com/KiNdSDHT2n
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 9, 2024
Outside of those two lineup moves, the Capitals’ only other change will come in net. Logan Thompson will be back in the cage for his seventh start this season. Thompson has gone 6-0 in his previous six starts with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Per MoneyPuck, the 27-year-old backstop has stopped 3.2 goals above expected, which ranks 14th in the NHL among goaltenders to have played in at least five games.
The Blues come into Saturday night’s game fifth in the NHL’s Central Division and 5-5 in their last 10 games. St. Louis last played on Thursday night, falling 4-2 to Utah.
