The Washington Capitals will have a new look on defense against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.
Timothy Liljegren, acquired from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline, is set to make his Capitals debut. Liljegren sat out Monday night’s win over the Calgary Flames, as head coach Spencer Carbery wanted to give him more time to learn the team’s system and settle into his new club.
“Liljegren will go in tonight, and the rest will stay the same,” Carbery said pregame.
Which defense pairing Liljegren will play on is not yet known, but he won’t start the game with former Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Rasmus Sandin. The two skated together in Toronto while Carbery was an assistant coach on the team’s staff.
“We’ll move around,” Carbery said. “He’s not going to start [with Sandin], but I’m sure they’ll see some shifts together tonight at some point.”
Sandin has played the past few games on a pair with Matt Roy, but Liljegren’s arrival could let Carbery push Roy back with Jakob Chychrun. Declan Chisholm, who has been skating on his off-hand side, is likely slated to be a healthy scratch.
While Liljegren is confirmed to be in against the Flyers, the Caps will have to wait at least one more game to see their other deadline addition, David Kampf. Although the Czech centerman has been practicing with his new teammates, he is still dealing with visa issues after arriving from the Vancouver Canucks and won’t play in Philadelphia.
Logan Thompson will get the start for the Capitals, his second against the Flyers after the Olympic break. On February 25, Thompson made 23 saves on 24 shots faced in a 3-1 win over the Flyers at Capital One Arena.
The Flyers come into Wednesday night’s game just two points back of the Capitals in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand. In their last game, they were blown out 6-2 at home by the New York Rangers.
