The Washington Capitals are looking to put two wins in a row together for the first time in over three weeks on Wednesday night. To do so, they’ll need to take out the back-to-back Stanley Cup finalist Edmonton Oilers.
Logan Thompson will lead the team out onto the ice against Connor McDavid and the Oilers as he retakes the starter’s net after a night off earlier this week. Thompson is one of the league’s top goaltenders this season with his 7-5-1 record, 1.85 goals-against average, and .925 save percentage.
Thompson made one start against the Oilers last season, making 30 saves in a 3-2 win for the Capitals. In his career against Edmonton, Thompson is 1-2-1 with a 3.45 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.
In front of Thompson will be the same lines that helped deliver a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings with Charlie Lindgren in net. Head coach Spencer Carbery made a few tweaks to his lineup ahead of the win and was pleased with the results, giving them another game to build more chemistry.
Given the news, the team’s healthy scratches will again be Sonny Milano, Declan Chisholm, and Dylan McIlrath. Pierre-Luc Dubois remains out long-term after undergoing surgery earlier this month.
Projected Capitals lineup for 11/19 game against Oilers
The Oilers come into Wednesday night’s game on the back of a bad 5-1 road loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The club is struggling mightily to keep the puck out of their net this season, giving up 3.48 goals per game, the fifth-worst mark in the NHL.
Much of that failure falls on the team’s goaltending, which has posted just an 87.6 percent save percentage at five-on-five this season. Stuart Skinner is expected in net for the Oilers, and he is 7-5-3 on the season with a 2.86 goals-against average, a .889 save percentage, and one shutout.
McDavid, Edmonton’s superstar captain, saw an eight-game point streak snapped in the team’s loss to the Sabres. He has gone without a point in just four games so far this season.
