WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Capitals will close out 2024 with a New Year’s Eve game against the Boston Bruins, and they’ll have some tweaks to the lineup when they hit the ice. Ivan Miroshnichenko will play against Boston after spending the last two games as a healthy scratch, with Jakub Vrana coming out of the lineup.
Vrana will sit out Tuesday after a seven-game stint in the Caps’ lineup where he recorded seven points (3g, 4a) — including a three-game goal streak. Head coach Spencer Carbery acknowledged Vrana’s contributions to the score sheet but cited a lack of consistency in his recent play.
“Haven’t liked V’s last two games,” Carbery said. “And I know you have to give him a lot of credit because he came back into the lineup after sitting for a while. Certainly I respect the fact that he scored some massive goals for us. Two game winners, scored against Boston on the power play. So he earned that opportunity. Now the challenge with V, and this is for any young player or borderline player trying to stay in the lineup, is you’ve got to try to be as consistent as possible. And I felt like the last two games, he’s taken a step back, and so that opens up a door for coaches to make decisions.
“And Miro, as a young player, chomping at the bit to get back in the lineup. Thought he took a step back for a couple of games. That’s why he came out. Now he’s going to get an opportunity to grab a hold of that. So that was the rationale behind it. Still have full confidence in V and quite honestly [he] has an argument to, ‘Well, I’ve scored this amount of goals’ to get more runway. But that’s the deal when you are in that mix of trying to hang on to a lineup spot.”
Ivan Miroshnichenko will draw in for the first time since Alex Ovechkin’s return to play. After earning a call up last month, Miroshnichenko played in 15 straight games during Ovechkin’s 16-game absence. Though he was benched for much of the December 22 game against the LA Kings and played just 5:34 the following night, the Caps opted to keep Miroshnichenko on the roster and returned Hendrix Lapierre to the Hershey Bears Sunday.
Carbery did not say where Miroshnichenko will slot into the lineup against the Bruins. While in the lineup, Miroshnichenko served in a primarily fourth-line role with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime, while Vrana has played on the Caps’ third line.
The Capitals will host the Bruins for a rare weekday matinee, with the puck dropping at 12:30 at Capital One Arena.
