The Washington Capitals were without alternate captain John Carlson against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
Carlson, 35, missed the team’s morning skate ahead of the game with an upper-body injury, and head coach Spencer Carbery labeled him a game-time decision. The veteran defender missed just three games last season and had played in all 17 games in the 2025-26 campaign up until this point.
With Carlson out of action, Trevor van Riemsdyk replaced him in the team’s lineup next to Martin Fehervary. TVR had been a healthy scratch for the last two games before getting a sweater against the Devils.
Capitals’ 11/15 defense pairings without John Carlson
Carlson came into Saturday riding a five-game point streak, recording two goals and five assists during that stretch. He had one assist in 22:55 of total ice time against the Florida Panthers on Thursday — a Capitals’ 6-3 loss.
Among all Capitals defensemen, Carlson is the leading scorer from the backend with 14 points (4g, 10a). Only forwards Dylan Strome (15) and Tom Wilson (17) have gotten on the scoresheet more than Carlson. The 35-year-old defenseman is averaging a team-leading 23:22 of ice time per game this season.
With Carlson out of action, Nic Dowd wore an “A” on his sweater against the Devils, serving as alternate captain along with Wilson. The game marked Dowd’s 600th of his career.
