The Washington Capitals will be without TJ Oshie against the New York Rangers on Monday night while Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson will be game-time decisions.
The Capitals announced to beat reporters at the start of the morning skate that Oshie would not play due to personal reasons.
Oshie will miss tonight's game at NYR due to personal reasons. Ovechkin and Carlson are on the ice for the a.m. skate but have not yet been cleared. #Caps
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) May 3, 2021
Oshie took a personal day and missed practice on March 23.
Meanwhile, Ovechkin and Carlson were “a full go” during the morning skate, signaling it’s possible they could play this evening.
Ovechkin and Carlson are going to be game-time decisions, per Laviolette. They were full-go during the a.m. skate. #Caps
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) May 3, 2021
Ovechkin has missed four straight games while Carlson has missed the last two. Both have been dealing with lower-body injuries.
“I think the biggest thing is their health,” Laviolette said when asked how aggressive the Capitals would be about reinserting the players back in with a handful of games left. “We’re not hiding anything. You see them out there practicing, participating in full. When you get to a game, it’s a different strain. I feel like there’s more demands on your body and so at that point we’re making a decision on what’s in the best interest of our team, what’s in the best interest of that player. While we’d love to have them in the lineup, at this point, with a a handful of games to go, we want to make sure we’re doing the right thing.”
With Oshie out of the lineup and Ovechkin and Carlson iffy, the Capitals could ice an odd starting lineup tonight that either includes 11F and 7D or just not have enough skaters.
Could be tricky lineup situation for Capitals tonight with lack of cap space/extra healthy players and Oshie out for personal reasons.
If Ovechkin can't play tonight and Carlson can, they could go 11F and 7D, Laviolette said.
If both can't play, might not have 18 skaters. https://t.co/p1f4IfI49P
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 3, 2021
Vitek Vanecek will get the start after Ilya Samsonov received the last game and the Caps lost 3-0 to the Penguins.
Vitek Vanecek will start in net for the Capitals tonight vs. Igor Shesterkin for the Rangers.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 3, 2021
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
