Tonight the Washington Capitals will look to make it two straight when they host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. So far this season, the Capitals have continued to impress, winning four of their last five games and eight of their last 10.
Ahead of tonight's game, the team has several players listed on their injury report, with Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie both on the injured reserve list. In addition, defenseman Jakob Chychrun is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained last Tuesday when the Capitals faced the New York Rangers.
With that in mind, the team's lines for tonight are projected to be as follows:
Forwards
- LW Alex Ovechkin - C Dylan Strome - RW Aliaksei Protas
- LW Connor McMichael - C Pierre-Luc Dubois - RW Tom Wilson
- LW Andrew Mangiapane - C Hendrix Lapierre - RW Sonny Milano
- LW Brandon Duhaime - C Nic Dowd - RW Taylor Raddysh
Defense
- Martin Fehervary - John Carlson
- Rasmus Sandin - Matt Roy
- Alex Alexeyev - Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalies
- Charlie Lindgren
- Logan Thompson
Powerplay
- Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome, Connor McMichael, Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson
- Hendrix LaPierre, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Alex Ovechkin, Rasmus Sandin
Penalty Kill
- Nic Dowd, Brandon Duhaime, Martin Fehervary, John Carlson
- Aliaksei Protas, Tom Wilson, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, Matt Roy
Washington Capitals' season so far and upcoming games
Heading into tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals have momentum on their side. The team is currently sitting third in a stacked Metropolitan Division behind the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils, who both have 20 points.
After losing their season opener to the Devils on Oct. 12, the Capitals bounced back in a big way, winning five straight games that included a rematch with the Devils on the road.
While the Tampa Bay Lightning snapped their five-game win streak, Washington rebounded again, winning three straight and then four of the last five games.
Ahead of tonight's game against the Penguins, the team is fresh off a win over the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, which marked the start of a two-game home stretch.
Following tonight's home game against the Penguins, Washington will hit the road for the second leg of a back-to-back that will see them play the St. Louis Blues tomorrow. From there, the team will return home for a clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, followed by a three-game road stretch that will start with a Nov. 15 game against the Colorado Avalanche.