Tue Jan. 02 Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: NBC Sports Washington, MSG+
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
Carolina Hurricanes 43-18-13-7 Last Game: Lost 3-2 against Blues
Washington Capitals 51-24-13-3 Last Game: Won 5-2 against Devils
8-Ovechkin 19-Bäckström 25-Smith-Pelly
13-Vrana 92-Kuznetsov 77-Oshie
10-Connolly 20-Eller 43-Wilson
18-Stephenson 83-Beagle 39-Chaisson
9-Orlov 4-Chorney
29-Djoos 74-Carlson
44-Orpik 22-Bowey
31-Grubauer
70-Holtby (starter)
-- SCRATCH --
2-Niskanen (upper body)
65-Burakovsky
-- INJURED --
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
39-Chaisson 20-Eller 13-Vrana
29-Djoos 9-Orlov
Referees: Tim Peel (#20) Ghislain Hebert (#22)
Linesmen: Brian Murphy (#93), Darren Gibbs (#66)
By Isabelle Khurshudyan January 2 at 1:19 PM
Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom is a game-time decision against Carolina. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)RALEIGH, N.C. — The Washington Capitals might be without two of their best players in their Metropolitan Division matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night. Defenseman Matt Niskanen is definitely out with an undisclosed “upper-body” injury, and he didn’t make the trip to Raleigh. Now top-line center Nicklas Backstrom may not play either, staying back at the team hotel for morning skate because he’s ill.
“I’m optimistic, but I don’t know until game time,” Coach Barry Trotz said of Backstrom’s availability. “He’ll be a game-time decision, but I’m optimistic.”
With Backstrom not on the ice for morning skate, forward Chandler Stephenson took his place centering wingers Alex Ovechkin and Devante Smith-Pelly on the top line. Stephenson has been playing left wing for the Capitals this season, but he’s played center in the American Hockey League, and he filled in for Backstrom as a center once before this season, when Backstrom was sick in Vancouver and couldn’t play.
[Rookie Djoos’s patience impresses his teammates] Stephenson has two goals and seven assists in 28 games played this season. If he does indeed get promoted to centering the top line, then forward Andre Burakovsky will draw back into the lineup and take Stephenson’s usual spot as the fourth-line left wing. Burakovsky practiced with the first power play with Backstrom absent from that unit this morning. Backstrom has eight goals and 23 assists this season.
“He’s played at a high level at center ice down in Hershey,” Trotz said of Stephenson. “He’s done that when he’s come up for us. It’s probably the least disruptive [to the rest of the lineup]. That might not necessarily be the lines if Backy was in. It was just very convenient today.”
Niskanen was out for 13 games earlier in the year with a thumb injury, and this ailment is seemingly unrelated to that one. Tuesday was a treatment day for Niskanen, so he didn’t skate back in Washington for a third straight day. The Capitals don’t play again until Sunday, so with him out on Tuesday night, he has roughly a week to heal.
[Slumping Burakovsky wants to strengthen his mental approach] The team is sitting in first place in the division with 51 points, but the Capitals have also played the most games, and Tuesday’s 41st game marks the halfway point of the season.
“Our mind-set has to be that we have to get the game tonight because we have a few days off,” Trotz said. “We’ll be practicing and working on our game, but when you get a chance to collect points, you’ve got to do that.”
