The Washington Capitals will play against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night in the second game of their five-game road trip out west. When the Capitals hit the ice at Rogers Place, they may have several key players returning from injury.
Head coach Spencer Carbery spoke with the media after his team’s optional morning skate on Wednesday, providing updates on Tom Wilson, Nic Dowd, and Martin Fehervary. None of them played against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, and Carbery stated that their availability against the Oilers would be determined closer to game time.
“We’ll make sure that everything is good this afternoon and then make a decision tonight,” Carbery said. “We’ve got some guys potentially coming back in the lineup tonight.”
Dowd has been out since February 20 due to a hit to the head from Timo Meier during a game against the New Jersey Devils. In his absence, Mike Sgarbossa has mainly filled in as the team’s fourth-line center, playing alongside Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
Fehervary left the Capitals’ 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on February 17 after an awkward fall behind the net. With the Slovak defender sidelined, the team has been managing with just six healthy defensemen since trading away Joel Edmundson at the deadline.
While Dowd and Fehervary sustained clear injuries during games around the same time last month, Wilson’s situation is more recent and mysterious. Despite being able to finish his last game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Wilson is dealing with an upper-body injury that has kept him out of only his second game this season.
“[Wilson] will be a game-time decision as well,” Carbery said. “We just want to ensure that he’s completely comfortable with his injury and able to play.”
The only confirmed change to the lineup will be Darcy Kuemper starting in goal instead of Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren has started the team’s last six games and nearly recorded back-to-back shutouts against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Blackhawks during that span.
“Chuckie has been exceptional, as everyone knows,” Carbery remarked. “Consequently, Darcy hasn’t had as much playing time as he would have liked, but that’s a result of Chuckie’s outstanding performance.
Darcy now has a chance to step in and play a crucial game for our team on the road against a strong opponent, which is a great opportunity for him to make a significant impact for our group.”
The Edmonton Oilers currently hold the second spot in the Pacific Division and have won six of their last ten games. After comfortably defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-0 shutout victory on Sunday, they have had several days off.
