WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals are in for another must-win game, this time against the Tampa Bay Lightning as the regular season winds down and the playoffs remain within reach.
Here's everything to know before puck drop at 5:30 p.m. at Capital One Arena. D.C. remains one point out of Wild Card territory.
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
The Capitals are sticking with the same lineup going into this one, with Charlie Lindgren making his 48th start of the season. Since Feb. 12, he leads all NHL goatlenders in saves with 638, as well as shots faced with 707 attempts coming his way.
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
Related: Lapierre & Iorio Are As Close As Brothers. Now At The Highest Level With The Capitals, They Continue To Lean On Each Other
Washington Capitals Injury Report
- Rasmus Sandin is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season after being hurt on a big hit back on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators.
- 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 the last five games for the Capitals.
- Max Pacioretty has points in two of his last three games. He also fought Tage Thompson last game.
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- Tom Wilson and Connor McMichael both ended respective goal droughts on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.
- John Carlson and Dylan Strome have three points in their last four games, and Carlson hit the 50-point mark once again back on Thursday.
Washington Capitals Playoff Implications
The Capitals sit one point out of a playoff spot, but the New York Islanders were able to extned their lead over third in the Metropolitan Division with a shootout loss, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, Phialdelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings are also in action once again on Saturday and can put D.C. in an even more difficult position in the chase for the second Wild Card spot, especailly if D.C. loses.
If Washington wins and the Penguins and Red Wings both fall in regulation, the team can steal back the second Wild Card spot. If the Capitals lose in overtime and the Penguins win, Pittsburgh wins the tiebreaker and keeps WC2. If D.C. loses in regulation, it remains out of playoff contention, and the chances of elimination increase significantly going into Monday.
How To Watch Capitals vs. Lightning
The game will be live on Monumental Sports Network .
Fans can also tune in on Caps Radio 24/7 and 106.7 FM The Fan .
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