Pos | Role | Name |
C | 1 | Nicklas Backstrom  ActiveNicklas Backstrom set a Washington Capitals record Saturday with his fourth playoff overtime goal. The goal was his second of the afternoon and it also moved him into a tie for fifth all-time on the NHL list for playoff overtime goals. After a so-so season as far as he was concerned, Backstrom has two goals and eight points in five playoff games. He is a fifth or sixth round pick next season in most drafts. Apr 22 |
| 2 | Evgeny Kuznetsov  ActiveEvgeny Kuznetsov registered an assist in a 6-3 win against Columbus in Game 6 Monday night. Kuznetsov is going into the second round on a three-game point streak. He had four goals and eight points in the first round series. Apr 24 |
| 3 | Lars Eller  ActiveLars Eller scored the game-winning goal in Tuesday's 3-2 double-overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Eller was the beneficiary of an extremely fortunate bounce, as Zach Werenski's clearing attempt went off Eller, bounced back off himself and bounced off Eller again before going into the back of the net. It took the Caps forward a few seconds to realize that the puck went in. He finished the night with a plus-1 rating, four shots on goal and two hits in 22:37 of ice time. The 28-year-old now has one point in three games during the postseason. Tom Wilson and John Carlson also found the back of the net for the Capitals. Washington has cut their series-deficit to 2-1. Game 4 will be played in Columbus on Thursday night. Apr 17 |
| 4 | Jay Beagle  ActiveJay Beagle had two assists in Monday's 6-3 Game 6 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Beagle another a great all-around performance and most importantly continued to dominate the face-off dot, winning nine of the 12 draws he took. The veteran forward also contributed with great defensive play on the penalty kill, with his first assist coming on Chandler Stephenson's shorthanded goal in the third period. The Capitals will now move onto the second round and host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Apr 23 |
| 5 | Chandler Stephenson  ActiveChandler Stephenson scored a goal and registered an assist in the Capitals' 6-3 win over Columbus on Monday. It was Stephenson's second straight multi-point game. He had 18 points in 67 contests as a rookie this season. He isn't expected to be a major contributor in the second round, though he's certainly hot going into it. Apr 24 |
LW | 1 | Alex Ovechkin  ActiveAlexander Ovechkin scored two goals in Monday's 6-3 Game 6 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets to advance to the second round. Ovechkin showed that his game is much more than just one-timers for his first goal of the night. The Russian forward help force the turnover with a check in the corner and went straight to the net where he banged home the rebound off of Brooks Orpik's shot for his 50th career playoff goal. Ovechkin then reverted to his usual spot on the power play five minutes later for his second goal of the night. He is the first Capitals player in franchise history to reach 50 playoff goals and he leads all Capitals in career two-goal playoff goals with seven (Peter Bondra and Dale Hunter are second with five). The Capitals will host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round. Apr 23 |
| 2 | Brett Connolly  ActiveBrett Connolly found the back of the net in Thursday's 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Jakub Vrana pounced on a Red Wings turnover on the blue line before taking off on a 2-on-0 breakaway with Connolly. Vrana eventually passed the puck over to Connolly, who buried it past Jimmy Howard. Connolly now has 15 goals and 25 points in 63 games this season. This was his first goal in 16 games. His last tally also came against Detroit. Mar 22 |
| 3 | Jakub Vrana  ActiveJakub Vrana will return to the lineup on Tuesday night. Vrana was a healthy scratch in Game 2 after he earned an assist in the first game of the series. An injury to Andre Burakovsky will get him back into the fold. He is projected to skate on the second line of the Capitals. Apr 17 |
RW | 1 | T.J. Oshie  ActiveT.J. Oshie will indeed play in Game 6 against Columbus on Monday night. Oshie skipped the morning skate again, but he was expected to play. Coach Barry Trotz confirmed that Oshie would be in the lineup. He is slated to play alongside Nicklas Backstrom and Chandler Stephenson. Apr 23 |
| 2 | Andre Burakovsky  SidelinedAndre Burakovsky will undergo minor surgery for his upper-body injury. Burakovsky will miss the remainder of the first round as a result. He might be able to return later in the playoffs if the Capitals advance beyond the Columbus Blue Jackets. Apr 20 |
| 3 | Tom Wilson  ActiveTom Wilson scored a goal and an assist in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wilson opened the scoring 6:16 into the first period when he buried a one-timer by Sergei Bobrovsky. The Caps forward then registered an assist on Alex Ovechkin's third-period tally. Wilson finished the night with a plus-3 rating, two penalty minutes and a game-high seven shots on goal in 19:44 of ice time. The 24-year-old now has two goals and one assist in four games this postseason. This best-of-seven series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 coming up on Saturday afternoon in Washington. Apr 19 |
| 4 | Alex Chiasson  ActiveAlex Chiasson (illness) returned to action on Saturday April 7. Chiasson left Thursday's game due to the illness, but he was healthy enough to play Saturday. He had two penalty minutes and logged 10:40 minutes of ice time in a 5-3 win over New Jersey. Apr 8 |
| 5 | Anthony Peluso  ActiveAnthony Peluso has been summoned by the Washington Capitals. Peluso has no points in three AHL games this season. The 28-year-old has appeared in 142 career NHL games, but none since the 2015-16 campaign. He has 14 points and 209 penalty minutes in his 142-contest NHL career. Oct 27 |
| 6 | Devante Smith-Pelly  ActiveThe Washington Capitals will sit Devante Smith-Pelly today against the San Jose Sharks. Joining Smith-Pelly as a scratch will be Christian Djoos, Alex Chiasson and Madison Bowey. Mar 10 |
| 7 | Travis Boyd  SidelinedTravis Boyd (illness) is skating with his teammates Saturday morning. Boyd has not played since April 5th but appears nearing a return to action. If he has recovered from his illness, it will be interesting to see if Caps' coach Barry Trotz inserts him into the lineup Sunday night. Apr 14 |
D | 1 | John Carlson  ActiveJohn Carlson continued his impressive post-season play in Monday's 6-3 Game 6 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Carlson finished the game with just one assist but it was his ninth point of the playoffs so far and his league leading eighth on the power play. He's a huge reason why the Capitals were able to reverse a 2-0 series deficit and come away with four straight wins and the series. The 28-year-old blueliner will be hoping to continue his dominance in the next round when the Capitals host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Apr 23 |
| 2 | Matt Niskanen  ActiveMatt Niskanen notched a goal and an assist in Sunday afternoon's 4-3 loss to Vegas. Nikanen assisted on a goal by Chandler Stephenson to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead and he gave the team a 2-1 with his fourth marker of the year in the second period. However, the Golden Knights kept battling back and eventually got the game winner late in the third. Nicklas Backstrom had the other goal for Washington in the loss. Feb 4 |
| 3 | Dmitry Orlov  ActiveDmitry Orlov collected two assists in a 4-3 overtime win against Columbus in Game 5 on Saturday afternoon. Orlov had the primary helper on goals by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom (game winner) in the contest. He didn't have a point in the previous four matches of the series and has just six assists in 29 career postseason outings. Apr 21 |
| 4 | Brooks Orpik  ActiveBrooks Orpik (lower body) will play Tuesday night. Orpik was on the ice for the pregame warmups after he missed one game due to a lower-body injury. He will skate alongside Christian Djoos on the third defense duo. Mar 20 |
| 5 | Christian Djoos  ActiveChristian Djoos will be a healthy scratch in Game 1 of Washington's first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Djoos was scratched in three of Washington's last four games. He had three goals and 11 assists in 63 games this season. Madison Bowey and Shane Gersich will also be scratched in this one. Apr 12 |
| 6 | Michal Kempny  ActiveMichal Kempny was on the ice for the Capitals' practise Saturday morning. Kempny was hit from behind by the Blue Jackets' Josh Anderson Thursday night and has swelling over his right eye and his nose. The good news is that he did not sustain a concussion and will be able to suit up in Game 2 Sunday. Apr 14 |
| 7 | Madison Bowey  ActiveMadison Bowey has been brought up by the Washington Capitals. Bowey has spent the majority of the 2017-18 season with the Capitals, but he was demoted to the minors on Mar. 13. He posted two goals and eight points in nine outings with Hershey. Bowey has 12 helpers in 51 NHL games this year. Apr 3 |
| 8 | Jakub Jerabek  ActiveJakub Jerabek will be a healthy scratch in Game 6 against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. Jerabek played in the first two games of the series, but he's now been scratched in four straight. The 26-year-old has one assist in two games this postseason. Madison Bowey, Tyler Boyd, Shane Gersich, Pheonix Copley will also watch the game from the press box. Apr 23 |
G | 1 | Braden Holtby  ActiveBraden Holtby stopped 35 of 38 shots in Monday's 6-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Holtby looked absolutely unbeatable until the cracks started to show after Nick Foligno beat him with weak shot midway through the second period. However, Holtby responded well to that weak goal and continued to play with confidence, allowing his teammates to jump out to a two-goal lead and never give it away for the rest of the contest. The Capitals switching from Philipp Grubauer to Braden Holtby after Game 2 has proven to be the turning point of the series with Washington erasing a 2-0 series deficit and winning four straight to have the right to host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round. Apr 23 |
| 2 | Philipp Grubauer  ActivePhilipp Grubauer allowed four goals on 22 shots in two periods of work on Sunday. Grubauer was replaced by Braden Holtby to start the third period. The 26-year-old has an .837 save percentage and 4.57 goals against average through two games in the post-season. He received a no-decision, since Washington was able to tie the game in the third period before falling in overtime to Columbus. Apr 15 |
| 3 | Pheonix Copley  ActiveThe Washington Capitals have summoned Pheonix Copley from the AHL. Although it can be concerning when a team calls up a goaltender, this isn't necessarily a red flag. We're in the playoffs now and we've seen other teams add a third goalie to their roster just as an insurance policy, so that's likely what Washington is doing here. Copley had a 2.91 GAA and .896 save percentage in 41 AHL games this season. Apr 12 |