Injury Challenges and a Goalie Shuffle: Capitals Face Kings Without Nic Dowd
The Washington Capitals are heading out west for a three-game California road trip, kicking things off with a visit to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. But here’s where it gets tricky: Nic Dowd will miss his eighth consecutive game due to an upper-body injury, keeping him off the ice against his former team.
Head coach Spencer Carbery provided an update after the team’s morning skate, though it was far from definitive. “I don’t [have an update],” Carbery said. “He’s been skating, so that’s a positive sign, but I don’t have any timeline.” While the news offers some hope, fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Dowd back in action.
In the absence of Dowd and Pierre-Luc Dubois down the middle, the Capitals have leaned on Dylan Strome along with a trio of younger centers—Connor McMichael, Justin Sourdif, and Hendrix Lapierre—to fill the gap. Surprisingly, the team has thrived under this lineup, posting a 6-1 record over those seven games and reclaiming a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division. This raises an interesting question: could the younger players’ chemistry actually be more effective than expected, or is it just a hot streak?
Carbery did not announce any lineup changes for the match against the Kings. The Capitals previously defeated LA 2-1 at home last month, with goals coming from former Kings defenseman Matt Roy and captain Alex Ovechkin.
Projected Capitals Lineup for December 2 vs. Kings:
- Ovechkin
- Strome
- Beauvillier
- Protas
- Sourdif
- Wilson
- Duhaime
- McMichael
- Leonard
- Milano
- Lapierre
- Frank
- Fehervary
- Carlson
- Chychrun
- Roy
- Sandin
- TVR
- Logan Thompson (G)
- Charlie Lindgren (G)
Logan Thompson is set to start his first game in California, with Charlie Lindgren expected to handle the net against the San Jose Sharks in the back half of a back-to-back on Wednesday. Thompson’s last outing was stellar, stopping 30 of 31 shots in a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders.
Interestingly, Lindgren started the November matchup against the Kings, making this Thompson’s debut against LA this season. Historically, Thompson has had solid success against the Kings, boasting a 5-2-0 record with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
The Kings, meanwhile, are currently holding second place in the Pacific Division with a 12-6-7 record. They enter this matchup riding the momentum of a 2-1 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Will the Capitals’ young centers and Thompson’s hot streak be enough to challenge the high-ranking Kings on the road? Fans are certainly going to be watching closely, and opinions may vary on whether this is a test of depth or just a lucky streak.
