The Washington Capitals are back in a playoff spot, and they want to keep it that way as they take on the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
Here's everything to know before puck drop for the critical game, which could move D.C. up to third in the Metropolitan Division depending on the outcome and out-of-town scoreboard.
It all goes down at 7 p.m. ET at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
After grinding out a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings to snap a six-game skid and get back in the playoff picture on Tuesday, Washington is sticking with what worked and won't make any changes to the lineup.
Charlie Lindgren again starts in goal, while Ivan Miroshnichenko, Mike Sgarbossa and Lucas Johansen are the healthy scratches.
Here are the lines:
Alex Ovechkin-Connor McMichael-T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty-Hendrix Lapierre-Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Alex Alexeyev-Nick Jensen
Trevor van Riemsdyk-Vincent Iorio
Washington Capitals Injury Report
- Rasmus Sandin is out with an upper-body injury and will miss some time after being hurt on a big hit back on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators. It is possible he could miss the remainder of the regular season.
- Nicklas Backstrom remains on indefinite leave after stepping away from the game of hockey in November with his hip not responding as he'd hoped following hip resurfacing surgery in June 2022.
Washington Capitals Storylines
- Alex Ovechkin has four goals in his last four games and passed Mike Gartner for the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history (18) back on Tuesday in Motor City.
- Dylan Strome has points in four of his last six outings.
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- T.J. Oshie has four points in his last five games overall and had an assist in his return to game action against Detroit.
- Martin Fehervary has helpers in back-to-back games and three of his last five overall.
Washington Capitals Playoff Implications
The Capitals currently sit one point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins for the second Wild Card spot and two points back of the New York Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Detroit faces Pittsburgh on Thursday, so Washington needs to win or manage at least a point with the Pittsburgh Penguins also losing in regulation in order to stay in the second Wild Card spot.
Meanwhile, the Islanders also play and face the Montreal Canadiens, and if they lose, the Capitals can overtake third with a victory since they own the tiebreaker with more regulation wins.
The Philadelphia Flyers also play and could tie Washington in the standings if they win and D.C. loses in regulation, but D.C. owns the tiebreaker.
If the Capitals lose regulation, the team will lose its Wild Card spot regardless, with Detroit or Pittsburgh securing two points.
How To Watch Capitals vs. Sabres
This game is nationally televised and will be available on ESPN.
Fans can also tune in on Caps Radio 24/7 and 106.7 FM The Fan .
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