Capitals vs. Oilers: Tale Of The Tape, Lines, Players To Watch

The Washington Capitals are in for a tough time on Monday, as the shorthanded club will face off against Connor McDavid and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers.

Here’s everything to know ahead of puck drop.

Washington Capitals vs. Edmonton Oilers: Tale of the Tape

Washington (10-12-4) enters Monday’s game very shorthanded and five points out of a Wild Card spot. Not only is the team dealing with lingering injuries, but Darcy Kuemper and Martin Fehervary both went down in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. Fehervary took a big hit from Milan Lucic and left the ice in pain before heading straight down the tunnel. He did not return and was seen postgame at Scotiabank Saddledome in a sling. He is listed on the injured reserve, meaning he could miss at least the next three games.

Meanwhile, Kuemper pulled himself out of the game and didn’t feel right after taking an elbow to the head from Tyler Toffoli. With him out, Washington recalled Hunter Shepard from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He will back up Charlie Lindgren.

Dmitry Orlov is also still dealing with a lingering lower-body injury and will miss his 13th straight game, per head coach Peter Laviolette. That leaves Washington without a starter and two top-4 defenders.

As for the Oilers (14-11-0), they are missing Evander Kane, but they still have their dynamic duo of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the charge. Both sit atop the NHL’s leaderboard, as McDavid leads with 47 points and Draisaitl ranks second with 42. Edmonton is coming off an impressive 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens and has won five of their last six games. The Oilers sit in the first Wild Card spot in the west and dominate on the power play and have the third-best man advantage in the league (29.4 percent), but they also struggle on the penalty kill with the fifth-worst PK% (70.4).

Washington Capitals vs. Edmonton Oilers: Projected Lines

With a number of names out, here are the lines:

Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Conor Sheary

Sonny Milano-Evgeny Kuznetsov-T.J. Oshie

Marcus Johansson-Lars Eller-Anthony Mantha

Aliaksei Protas-Nic Dowd-Garnet Hathaway

Erik Gustafsson-John Carlson

Trevor van Riemsdyk-Nick Jensen

Alex Alexeyev-Matt Irwin

Lindgren will likely get the start with Kuemper out of the picture. He came in for Kuemper against Calgary and stopped seven of nine shots. The two goals against were also hard to put on him, as he had little chance with the defense struggling. Meanwhile, Orlov will miss his 13th straight game, and Fehervary and Kuemper will not play.

Washington Capitals vs. Edmonton Oilers: Players To Watch

When it comes to names to watch for Washington, look out for Conor Sheary, who has goals in back-to-back games. Dylan Strome also stands out, as his 14 assists are tied with Evgeny Kuznetsov for the team lead, and he also had three points in the Capitals’ 5-4 win over the Oilers back on Nov. 7. As always, keep an eye on Alex Ovechkin, who has five goals in his last eight games. Strome is also playing in career game No. 300 on Monday, while Garnet Hathaway is skating in his 400th career game.

On the Edmonton side, McDavid and Draisaitl are the usual suspects, but also watch for Zach Hyman, who’s on a four-game point streak, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has points in four of his last five games. In addition, keep an eye on Kailer Yamamoto, who is back in the lineup after missing the last 11 games.

How To Tune In To Capitals-Oilers

Local Washington fans can watch live on NBC Sports Washington and tune in to listen on Caps Radio 24/7. Oilers fans can get the game on Sportsnet. The game will also be on ESPN+.

Puck drop is at 8:30 p.m. ET at Rogers Place.