Caps Morning Skate: Key Highlights and Updates

The Washington Capitals end their final multi-game road swing Saturday night in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. The trip began Monday and included a loss in St. Louis and a comeback win in Utah.

Trip context and lineup notes

Washington seeks a winning record before returning home Sunday morning. Winger Brandon Duhaime called the matchup important and stressed the need for two points.

The team has earned a point in six of its last seven games (4-1-2). At morning skate, Ethen Frank skated in a full-contact sweater after missing two games with a lower-body issue.

Coach Spencer Carbery said he plans to roll out the same group that played in Utah. Caps Morning Skate provided key highlights and updates ahead of the Vegas game.

Offensive trends and Friday’s performance

Washington had been limited to two or fewer goals in 10 of 11 games before Thursday. The club then produced seven goals, including an empty-netter, in a 7-4 win over Utah.

Defensemen supplied seven points in that victory, with one goal and six assists. The team has now scored exactly seven goals twice this month, and 16 goals across nine other March games.

Carbery praised recent offensive moments, but emphasized the need for better defensive consistency. He said the club must reduce chances allowed and repeat game-winning plays.

Ivan Miroshnichenko’s development

Miroshnichenko is expected in the lineup for a third straight game. He nearly scored in St. Louis, then netted a pair in Utah for his first two-goal NHL game.

The 2022 first-round pick (20th overall) is in the final year of his three-year entry level contract. In 45 NHL games, he has five goals and seven assists, averaging 10:45 of ice time per night.

At AHL Hershey, he totaled 98 points in 138 regular-season games. He added 10 goals and 17 points in 28 playoff games. The 22-year-old overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier in his career.

Carbery said Miroshnichenko must find his NHL identity, create scoring chances, drive the net, and show consistent reads and compete.

Ovechkin milestone

Captain Alex Ovechkin arrived in Las Vegas on the heels of a hat trick in Utah. He also recorded a hat trick in this building on Nov. 17, 2024.

Ovechkin is expected to play regular season game No. 1,565 tonight. That would move him past Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564) into 15th place on the NHL’s all-time games played list.

He would rank third all-time for games with one franchise, behind Gordie Howe and Patrick Marleau. He would also be third among European-born players behind Jaromir Jagr and Zdeno Chara.

Goaltending matchup

Logan Thompson gets the start for Washington. This marks his 14th start in the Capitals’ last 16 games.

Thompson posted a 36-save night in Utah and earned his first road victory since Jan. 23 in Calgary. He spent time on injured reserve earlier, and the NHL paused for about three weeks for the 2026 Olympics.

In four starts between road wins, the Caps combined for three goals. Among 52 goalies with at least 12 road starts, Thompson ranks 35th in offensive support at 2.78 goals per game, down from 4.34 last season.

Against his former Vegas team, Thompson is 3-0-0 with a 2.01 GAA and a .936 save percentage. Vegas will likely use Adin Hill in net.

Hill has started three straight games (1-1-1) and nine of the last ten (3-5-1). He has 24 starts, second on the team to Akira Schmid’s 29. Hill is 9-9-4 with one shutout, a 3.07 GAA and an .868 save percentage.

Lifetime versus Washington, Hill is 0-3-0 with a 3.44 GAA and a .857 save percentage.

Projected lineups

Extras and injuries

• Washington healthy extras: Liljegren, Chisholm, McIlrath, Kampf.
• Washington listed injured/out: Ethen Frank (lower body).
• Vegas healthy extras: Hutton, Saad, Bowman.
• Vegas listed injured/out: Rondbjerg, Karlsson, Hart (all lower-body).

Filmogaz.com will carry game coverage and postgame analysis after the final horn. Expect continued Caps Morning Skate key highlights and updates following the game.