The Washington Capitals will be without Joe Beninati’s voice behind their games until the playoffs.
Beninati announced on his X account that he would be missing his third straight game on doctor’s orders to ensure his voice is good to go for the Capitals’ first-round postseason matchup. Joe B originally started his illness-forced break from the booth last Thursday during the Caps’ win against the Carolina Hurricanes and then also sat out of Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets (though it appears he was attending The 2025 Masters at Augusta National).
The Capitals’ matchup with the New York Islanders on Tuesday is their penultimate game of the season. The team’s final regular-season test is a national TV exclusive against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
“Traveled to NY, hoped to work, but barely unpacked,” Beninati tweeted. “Sadly, I’ve been advised to rest my voice tonight (we don’t have the Thursday game in Pitt on @MonSportsNet) so that I should be full go for Game 1 of playoffs. I’m grateful to John & Zack for re-arranging their schedules.”
Capitals radio voice John Walton will be back in the TV booth and call the game with Craig Laughlin. The Hershey Bears’ Zack Fisch will have the call of the Capitals’ game on the radio.
The Capitals’ pregame show will also be without Alexa Landestoy, who began her maternity leave at the end of last week. Russ Thaler, familiar to Caps fans as a former in-studio host with Comcast Sportsnet, will fill in for Landestoy again. He’ll be joined by analysts Alan May, Brent Johnson, and Bruce Boudreau.
