The Washington Capitals will make a lineup change on defense against the Utah Mammoth, but not because John Carlson is ready to return from injury.
Carlson will miss a fourth straight game after the Olympic break, although he skated again on Tuesday morning. The veteran rearguard remains in a no-contact jersey and, per head coach Spencer Carbery, is still out “day-to-day” with a lower-body injury.
“No, he’s not [playing],” Carbery said. “Yeah, [still day-to-day].”
While Carlson sits out, Dylan McIlrath will get his first game since January 31 against the Carolina Hurricanes. McIlrath will enter the lineup in place of Declan Chisholm, who has two assists in the team’s last three games and three points (1g, 2a) in his last five games overall.
McIlrath played in just five total games in January, averaging 7:30 of ice time per game. He has yet to record a point this season, and during his five-on-five minutes, the Capitals have seen a team low 42.5 percent of shot attempts.
With Carlson remaining out for another night, Carbery was asked if he was concerned about taxing the other top-four defenders on the roster to try to eat the minutes that Carlson usually patrols.
“I didn’t feel like fatigue was a huge issue with our backend,” Carbery said. “Everybody’s trying to do a little bit more in the absence of John. We just need a little bit more from everybody, a few more minutes from everybody, a few more quality [minutes], whether it’s penalty kill, five on five, power play. And I think guys have been doing a good job. I mentioned Sandin yesterday. So, yeah, I think the D-corps has handled it well.”
Carbery also confirmed that Logan Thompson will take back the starter’s net after Charlie Lindgren allowed four goals in a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens over the weekend. Thompson has faced the Mammoth just once in his career, a 5-4 shootout loss at Capital One Arena last year.
The Mammoth come into the game after a 4-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. They currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with their 31-25-4 record.
