The Capitals dropped their season opener to the Devils on Saturday in a 5-3 loss. Though that was a bit of bummer, the Caps have another opportunity on Tuesday to get their first win of the season. They’ll face off against the Vegas Golden Knights, who are currently 3-0-0 on the season and average five goals per game.
The Caps’ third line gave up three goals against the Devils, causing Spencer Carbery to bench them during Saturday’s game and sparking some line combination adjustments in practice. In addition, defensemen Matt Roy was injured and is currently “day-to-day.” It’s not obvious how Roy was injured during the game.
Now, the Capitals lines and D-pairings look like this:
- Protas-Strome-Ovechkin
- McMichael-Dubois-Wilson (no change)
- Vrána-Lapierre-Mangiapane
- Duhaime-Dowd-Raddysh (no change)
- Carlson-Chychrun (no change)
- Fehérváry-McIlrath
- Sandin-van Riemsdyk (no change)
Notably, Milano was held out of the lineup in place of Vrána. It’s unfortunate, but the right call. Milano has a lot of potential and his talent is undeniable. One bad game won’t change that. But, Vrána has impressed the coaches on a PTO during training camp to earn a contract for the year. His speed and offensive talent could provide a jolt to reenergize the third line. Giving Vrána the jersey against Vegas looks best for the team right now.
Interestingly, the coaching staff chose to place Protas on the first line with Strome and Ovechkin. Protas and Lapierre are a bit more familiar with each other, and may do better to remain on the third line together with the addition of Mangiapane. Mangiapane’s versatility and stability can help boost the third line’s productivity and prevent some mistakes we saw opening night. That would move Vrána to the top line with Strome and Ovechkin, where the three could create some exciting offensive chemistry together.
On defense, McIlrath will slot in for Matt Roy on the second pairing. Like we saw last year, McIlrath seems to be able to fit in seamlessly whenever he’s needed. Alexeyev remains the extra defenseman.
Thompson is expected to play against his former team. This is a little unusual considering skaters typically say they have the advantage over their former goalie, and Chuckie’s stunning 3-0 shutout of Vegas last year. However, Thompson put on an unbelievable show for us during his preseason outing with a .923 save percentage against the Blue Jackets.
