Darcy Kuemper To Make Preseason Debut Against Bruins

Washington Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper is expected to make his preseason debut when the team travels to Boston on Tuesday, the team said.

Tuesday’s game is the first this preseason in which Kuemper is active.

“I think we ended up in a position, whether it was injuries or whatever, that the team, the group isn’t really used to being in,” Kuemper said at media day. “I think we lost some of that energy down the stretch and guys were frustrated with how things were going. It’s nice to see the excitement back in the room.

“You know, just the days leading up to camp and now that we’re on the ice, that excitement, that joy of the game is back. Guys are ready, ready to have a fresh start, really looking forward to that. I think the main focus amongst the guys is to go prove that last year was an outlier and not the new norm. ”

Hunter Shepard, who has played in two of the Capitals’ three preseason games so far, will be the team’s second goalie.

Following Sunday’s roster cuts, which sent 15 players down to the Hershey Bears, the Capitals are one step closer to finalizing the team’s opening night roster. Tuesday’s game roster consists of many NHL regulars, as well as a handful of players on the bubble.

Here’s the Capitals’ full roster for Tuesday’s game:

Forwards: Sonny Milano, Dylan Strome, Nicklas Backstrom, Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, Nic Dowd, Anthony Mantha, Tom Wilson, Matthew Phillips, Beck Malenstyn, Alex Limoges, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

Defensemen: Vincent Iorio, Hardy Haman Aktell, Rasmus Sandin, Lucas Johansen, Trevor van Riemsdyk, John Carlson.

Goaltenders: Hunter Shepard, Darcy Kuemper.