by The Washington Capitals held their final practice before Saturday’s season opener against the New Jersey Devils at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Washington’s roster is set and all that’s left is to drop the first puck at Capital One Arena.
Head coach Spencer Carbery confirmed after skating that the lineup he has put together over the past few weeks will be on the ice against New Jersey.
“That’s how we start,” he said.
Projected lines
Ovechkin
Streams
Mangiapane
The only undetermined lineup decision coming into play involves the left wing of the team’s third line. Sonny Milano and Jakub Vrana had separate replacements at the position in recent training sessions. However, on Thursday, Carbery hinted that Milano would get the first chance to take on the role.
“Sonny has a lot of credibility with our coaching staff and this team,” Carbery said Thursday. “He had a solid year. I think he slowed down a little bit in the playoffs, but I mean, a lot of our guys slowed down in the playoffs.
“He enjoys a certain level of credibility with us. Whether he has a great preseason or is slowly getting back into the season, there is the certainty that he will be at his best when the puck actually drops.”
Carbery also announced that Charlie Lindgren will be named the starter against the Devils. Logan Thompson, Lindgren’s replacement, returned to practice Friday after missing some practices for personal/family reasons. Lindgren started in the team’s final preseason game against the Boston Bruins and pitched a shutout with 17 saves.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper hopes his first start this year goes better than his first one last year. Lindgren suffered a 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins early last season before winning five of his next six starts.
If the puck drops against the Devils, the Capitals will be the second-to-last NHL team to start their 2024-25 season. Washington will play a Devils team that is already three games into its season, which Carbery said will be both a challenge and perhaps an advantage as his team gets a little more rest.
“It definitely helps to get going and play games, but you also have to understand that they’ve been to Europe, back and traveling,” Carbery said on Friday. “From the second game they had three or four days because they played back-to-back in Europe and then flew back.
“I don’t read too much into it. There is an advantage, but they also have some travel overhead. What I do know is that your first game is off – the nerves, the excitement, the calmness in your game, the reads, the puck touches. We have to be very careful in our launch because they will be very comfortable. We need to make sure we can resolve this nervousness very, very quickly.”
Saturday night’s game represents a turning point for the Capitals. Nine players are expected to play against the Devils, who did not play in last season’s opening game against Pittsburgh.
Seven of these players are brand new to the organization and were added via trade or free agency during the offseason. While that could mean there are some early chemistry issues on the team, Carbery is still excited to get a first look at what he and the front office have put together.
“There’s a little bit of unknown, which I think creates anticipation and excitement because we have so many new parts to our group that we haven’t seen at all,” Carbery said. “In the preseason you get a little glimpse, but it’s not the regular season, so there’s a little bit of unknown for us as coaches when we see what we have here and what it looks like in a real game.
“I’m excited to see that. I feel good where we are. I like our group. I enjoyed our training camp. I feel like we’ve done a lot of productive work and now it’s just a matter of putting it all together and seeing what that looks like in a regular season game.”
Puck drop against the Devils is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena. New Jersey enters the game with a 2-1 record and lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first time this season on Thursday night. The Capitals wore the Devils’ number last year and won the season series three games to one. Washington outscored New Jersey 19-14 in those four games, scoring six goals in two wins.
