Yahoo Sports Capitals vs. Maple Leafs Preview: Line Combinations, Stats & Storylines To Watch
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals are running on vibes to open the 2023-24 campaign, as their 10-4 start is the result of good team chemistry and good times. They’ll look to keep them going against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are playing without Auston Matthews.
Here’s everything to know before puck drop at 7:30 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
The Capitals’ lines will be the same as they were in St. Louis for the 8-1 win over the Blues, with one exception: Hendrix Lapierre will draw in as the third-line center with Mike Sgarbossa re-assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears and Lars Eller en route to D.C. following the trade for him on Tuesday.
Logan Thompson will make the start as the goalie rotation gets a bit of a shakeup with the team looking to utilize him against the Vegas Golden Knights later this week.
Here are the combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Aliaksei Protas
Connor McMichael-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson
Andrew Mangiapane-Hendrix Lapierre-Jakub Vrana
Brandon Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Taylor Raddysh
Jakob Chychrun-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Matt Roy
Martin Fehervary-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Washington Capitals Stats & Storylines
- Alex Ovechkin has goals in five of his last six games and struck twice on Saturday. Look for him to stay hungry.
- Connor McMichael’s 10 goals are tied with Ovechkin for the team lead. He has points in three straight and five goals in his last five games.
- Rasmus Sandin has goals in back-to-back games and seven points in his last nine outings.
- Jakub Vrana has points in four straight games. He’s here to stay, as he and Dylan McIlrath were told to find permanent places to stay after hotel lodging to open the year.
- Hendrix Lapierre will be looking to make the most of his opportunity with Lars Eller likely to slot in as the full-time 3C.
- Dylan Strome had three assists last game and leads Washington with 22 points so far. He’s among the league’s scoring leaders and has points in all but two games this year.
- Head coach Spencer Carbery warned his team not to underestimate Toronto after its rough loss to Ottawa last night. Lesson learned from the Pittsburgh game on Friday.
