The Washington Capitals were unable to escape their preseason finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets without injury.
Defensemen Matt Roy and Dylan McIlrath both left the team’s 2-1 win early, leaving the Capitals with just four defensemen for the final 10:36 of the third period. The Caps announced that McIlrath suffered a lower-body injury, while head coach Spencer Carbery shared postgame that Roy’s ailment is of the upper-body variety.
“We’ll evaluate them tomorrow, but it doesn’t look like it’s super significant or a long-term thing,” Carbery said. “Maybe a week, two weeks. I don’t want to throw anything out there, so we’ll evaluate them tomorrow.”
McIlrath first left the game with 9:57 remaining in the second period, heading back to the locker room for repairs. He then came out for warmups with his teammates for the third period, took one 24-second shift in the third period, and then departed again with 18:25 left in the final frame.
After having some skate trouble early in the game, McIlrath earned the secondary assist on the Capitals’ second goal of the game. Overall, the 33-year-old rearguard skated 8:34 of total ice time, blocked one shot, and threw two hits.
Roy took five shifts in the third, his final only lasting 25 seconds, before heading down the tunnel. The 30-year-old blueliner skated on the team’s second pairing with Rasmus Sandin, recording 19:05 of total ice time, one shot on goal, and one hit. Roy played in just one October game last year after suffering an injury in the first game of the Capitals’ 2024-25 campaign.
With the two defensemen potentially out to start the regular season, Vincent Iorio may not have to worry about being placed on waivers anymore. Iorio will become the team’s seventh defender if both McIlrath and Roy can’t get back up to speed before Wednesday’s regular-season opener. The Capitals may even need to recall someone from the AHL’s Hershey Bears if they want to carry eight defensemen.
Backup goaltender Charlie Lindgren also did not dress on Saturday night, forcing Clay Stevenson into the second chair behind Logan Thompson. Lindgren reportedly missed the game for maintenance-related reasons.
The Capitals are taking Sunday off before they need to submit their finalized 23-man roster by 5 pm on Monday. They have two full days of practice scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
