Mon. April 2 Washington Capitals @ St. Louis Blues
Place: Scottrade Center
Time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: NBCSN, SN1, TVAS, FS-MW
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM for Live Box Score
St. Louis Blues 92-43-29-6 Last Game: Mar 31 Lost 6-0 Against Coyotes
Washington Capitals 101-47-25-7 Last Game: Apr 01 Won 3-1 Against Penguins
Projected Lineup
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 43-Wilson
65-Burakovsky 19-Bäckström 10-Connolly
63-Gersich 20-Eller 25-Smith-Pelly
13-Vrana 18-Stephenson 39-Chiasson
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
44-Orpik 28-Jerabek
70-Holtby (starter)
31-Grubauer
-- SCRATCH --
77-Oshie
83-Beagle (upper body)
29-Djoos
-- INJURED RESERVE --
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 20-Eller 65-Burakovsky
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Gord Dwyer (#19), Trevor Hanson (#14)
Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron (#74), Brian Murphy (#93)
1st Period03:38 Blues GOAL Tarasenko 1-0 STL
2nd Period00:51 GOAL 19-Bäckström, assist 10-Connolly 1-1 TIE
02:39 GOAL 39-Chiasson, assist 28-Jerabek 2-1 WSH
07:54 GOAL 65-Burakovsky, assists 19-Bäckström & 44-Orpik 2-2 TIE
11:38 Blues GOAL Berglund 3-2 WSH
3rd Period18:29 PP GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assist 92-Kuznetsov 4-2 WSH
FINAL: 4-2 WSH
by Isabelle Khurshudyan April 2 at 12:09 AM
Capitals’ Jay Beagle will miss Monday’s game against the Blues with upper-body injury
Jay Beagle was injured in the first period of Sunday’s Capitals win over Pittsburgh. (Nick Wass/AP)
PITTSBURGH — Capitals center Jay Beagle sustained an undisclosed “upper-body” injury in the first period of Washington’s 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday night. Beagle was ruled out for the rest of the game, and he’s not expected to play in St. Louis on Monday in the second game of the Capitals’ back-to-back set.
Coach Barry Trotz didn’t have an update on how serious Beagle’s injury is or how long he might be out — the team has just three regular-season games left before the start of the playoffs — but said Washington won’t recall another forward before playing the Blues. That means versatile rookie Chandler Stephenson is likely to fill-in for Beagle as the fourth-line center in St. Louis.
The Capitals secured first place in the Metropolitan Division for a third straight year with their win Sunday, so Washington can afford to be cautious with Beagle’s health. He hasn’t missed a game all season, skating 12:34 per game with a 58.6 faceoff percentage, the third-best in the league. Beagle also averages the most shorthanded time on ice of the Capitals’ forwards. The 32-year-old is in the last year of his contract, and he has seven goals with 15 assists.
Before Beagle retreated to the locker room with 4:39 left in the first period, Washington’s head trainer tended to him on the bench, rubbing his back and side.
Trotz has been experimenting with different combinations on his third and fourth lines over the past week to find which mix he likes most for the playoffs, and he indicated Beagle’s absence won’t be the only change to the lineup on Monday. Trotz has previously said the team intends to recall rookie center Travis Boyd before the playoffs, and if Beagle is still ailing, Boyd could be a potential replacement in the postseason.
“Tomorrow we’re going to probably have to put a couple guys in,” Trotz said after Sunday’s game. “Obviously, I’m not going to put Beags back in. We’ll see where we are health-wise, and we’ll get an opportunity to do that. But we still want to be playing well the last couple games.”
