The Washington Capitals held a morning practice before their upcoming game against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. Darcy Kuemper finished his session first and will start as goalie.
According to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post, the remaining lineup, including players like Tom Wilson, Martin Fehervary, and Nic Dowd, is yet to be finalized. The game will commence slightly after 10:20 p.m. Eastern as part of a national TNT doubleheader. It will be broadcast on both TNT and TruTV, with streaming available on MAX.
Dowd, with 16 points consisting of eight goals and eight assists, endured trade speculation leading up to the deadline. He has been practicing with a light blue non-contact jersey due to an upper-body injury. Wilson and Fehervary are also dealing with injuries—Wilson has an upper-body ailment while Fehervary has a lower-body issue. T.J. Oshie made his return from an upper-body injury in the last game.
According to the game notes, the Capitals hold a historical record of 41-32-6-3 against Edmonton, having secured points in six of their last 10 road games against them (4-4-2).
The Caps emerged victorious in their previous visit to Rogers Place on Dec. 5, 2022, with Nic Dowd scoring the winning goal while Charlie Lindgren made 28 saves in a 3-2 win. Oshie is set to play his 997th NHL game. He leads the team with 29 points in 34 games against Edmonton, tallying 10 goals and 19 assists.
Alex Ovechkin leads the Caps in career goals against Edmonton with 14. Despite their position in the standings, the Caps have shown resilience, boasting a 7-3-1 record in their last 11 games dating back to Feb. 17.