The Washington Capitals have jumped out to a 13-6-1 start to the 2024-25 season, surprising many around the NHL. The Capitals dressed mostly the same lineup through the first 20 games, but that will change on Monday night after the team dropped two straight games for the first time.
Head coach Spencer Carbery moved forwards around at practice on Sunday, and it sounds like some of those changes will persist into Monday night’s game against the Florida Panthers. Washington will be without their captain, Alex Ovechkin, for a third-straight game due to his fractured fibula.
“Similar [to the lines in practice Sunday],” Carbery said pregame. “The lineup will stay the same as it was last game [but] some lines will move around a little bit.”
Lines from Sunday’s practice
Carbery confirmed his skaters will be the same group that lost 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. That means Brandon Duhaime will be ready to go despite missing Sunday’s practice for a maintenance day. Jakub Vrana will be a healthy scratch for the fifth time this season.
Taylor Raddysh’s promotion into the top six was the big story after the skate. Carbery wouldn’t confirm his inclusion on the second line for Monday’s game but the former 20-goal scorer has previous experience on a scoring line with the Chicago Blackhawks.
While the Capitals have tightened up defensively in recent games, they scored just three goals combined in their two losses last week. Carbery says there will be renewed efforts to find some of the offense the club was working with earlier in their schedule. Washington is still ranked first in the NHL in goals per game (4.05).
“It’s how the season goes,” Carbery said. “You go through ebbs and flows of where you’re defending really, really well, and now goals dry up. Next thing you know, you’re scoring quite a bit, and then you get a little bit loose with your defensive details. Right now, we feel pretty good about the way we’re defending over the last few games and the way that we’ve been checking, and now it’s about getting back to three or four goals, and that’s what we’ll try to focus on tonight.
“Not getting away from the checking part and defensive detail that’s a foundation of our game but trying to find some ways to get to the interior, and it’s a great test because [Florida] is going to stress you on the interior of the rink in our end and that’s what we’re trying to do to them on their half. You’re going to see two teams that are trying to do the same thing.”
Monday night’s game is the first of two in Florida on this year’s Mentors’ Trip. Washington also kicked last year’s trip off against the Panthers, losing 4-2. They responded with perhaps their best performance of the season, shutting out the Boston Bruins 3-0.
Morning skate with our mentors >>#ALLCAPS | @MedStarHealth pic.twitter.com/bbv4vyOR8F
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 25, 2024
Logan Thompson will get the nod in net. Thompson took his first regulation loss of the season in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. The 27-year-old backstop is 8-1-1 on the season with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
Florida comes into the matchup on a losing streak of their own, having dropped their last three games. The Panthers have lost five of their last six since their seven-game winning streak earlier in the season.
