Capitals vs. Golden Knights: Expected Lines, Who To Watch & Notes

WASHINGTON — As the Washington Capitals prepare for the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights in the second game of a back-to-back, the going has only gotten tougher in the past 24 hours.

Washington announced just hours before puck drop that Connor Brown underwent ACL surgery. He will be out for likely the remainder of the season given the 6-8 month timeline. And, on Halloween, the team learned that T.J. Oshie will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

The Capitals’ long-term injured list now includes Brown, Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom (hip resurfacing surgery), Tom Wilson (ACL surgery) and Carl Hagelin (hip surgery). The only forward expected back anytime soon is Wilson, who is “ahead of schedule.” He is pegged for a December return. Beyond that, defenseman John Carlson is day-to-day.

READ MORE ON WHN: Connor Brown Undergoes ACL Surgery, Return For Washington Capitals Unlikely

Despite the injuries, though, the Capitals know they have a task at hand on Tuesday against Vegas. It’s a meaningful game, as they not only look to get back above a .550 point percentage but also face the very club it beat in 2018 for the Stanley Cup. The team will also be hungry after showing great battle and going the distance in Monday’s shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

There was no morning skate, so the team hasn’t run lines for Tuesday yet. But looking at yesterday, Washington will continue to utilize the extras to fill in for Oshie and possibly Carlson, though it’s unclear if he’ll play. There were no more call-ups made. It is unclear if other combinations will change, though.

Based on Monday, here are the expected combinations:

Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Conor Sheary

Marcus Johansson-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Connor McMichael/Joe Snively

Aliaksei Protas-Lars Eller-Anthony Mantha

Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Garnet Hathaway

Dmitry Orlov-Trevor van Riemsdyk

Martin Fehervary-Nick Jensen

Erik Gustafsson-Matt Irwin

Darcy Kuemper played last night, so expect Charlie Lindgren to make his home debut.

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Keep an eye on Alex Ovechkin. The Great 8 is two goals shy of passing Gordie Howe for the most single-team goals in NHL history and sits 15 away from 800. Also look out for Conor Sheary, who has points in three of his last four, and Nick Jensen, who had an outstanding game against Carolina and is tied with Evgeny Kuznetsov for the team lead in assists.

On the Golden Knights‘ side of the coin, monitor Jack Eichel, who leads the team with 10 points in 10 games and has three points in his last two outings. In addition, former Capitals forward and Stanely Cup champion Chandler Stephenson has points in five of his last six games. Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and William Karlsson are also dangerous.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena. The game can be found on NBC Sports Washington.