Photo: YouTube
The Washington Capitals host the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night for each team’s preseason opener. The two split the regular-season series last season as the Capitals beat the Blackhawks at home by a score of 4-2 on November 21 before the Blackhawks returned the favor, winning 8-5 at home on January 20. Action from Capital One Arena can be seen on NBC Sports Washington beginning at 7 PM ET.
The Roster
The Capitals released their roster for Monday’s game early Sunday afternoon. Pheonix Copley is expected to start in goal for the Caps, and Ilya Samsonov will dress as the backup. (Game notes for the game can be found here.)
The Capitals will have two NHL players make their debut with the team as forwards Brendan Leipsic and Garnet Hathaway, who both signed with the team as unrestricted free agents over the summer.
Also making his debut will be Herndon, Virginia, native Joe Snively, who played for the Little Caps as a youth hockey player. The Capitals signed Snively to a two-year entry-level contract in March after he played four seasons for Yale University, where he led the team in scoring all four years he played. Snively scored a goal in his first game for the Hershey Bears.
Other players making their NHL preseason debuts include 2019 first-round pick Connor McMichael, 2019 third-round pick Aliaksei Protas, and former Notre Dame defenseman Bobby Nardella.
Center Nic Dowd, forwards Tom Wilson, Travis Boyd, and Chandler Stephenson, and defensemen Nick Jensen, Jonas Seigenthaler, Christian Djoos will be the only regulars from last season to dress against Chicago on Monday night.
Goaltenders Phoenix Copley and Ilya Samsonov will suit up in net for the Capitals, and head coach Todd Reirden announced that he plans for Copley to play the full game.
Capitals’ Projected Lineup
Chicago released their roster Monday morning with very few NHL players making the trip to Washington.
#Blackhawks lines this morning ahead of preseason trip to Washington:
Quenneville – Carpenter – Perlini
Nylander – Kampf – Saarela
D. Sikura – Highmore – Wedin
McLaughlin – Nilsson – VersteegGilbert – Boqvist
Koekkoek – Gustafsson
Beaudin – Tuulola
DahlstromDelia
Tomkins— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) September 16, 2019
NOTES:
- Caps fans will get their first look at 2019 first-round draft choice (25th overall) Connor McMichael on Monday, as he is expected to center a line with Chandler Stephenson and Damian Riat.
- That trio skated together in a Sunday intrasquad scrimmage at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, accounting for all three of its team’s goals. Stephenson scored twice and Riat once, with McMichael helping to create all three.
Pingback: Day 4 Capitals Training Camp Notebook: Michal Kempny Now Day-To-Day | NoVa Caps
Pingback: Capitals Training Camp Notebook – Day 4: Michal Kempny Now Day-To-Day | NoVa Caps
Pingback: Capitals’ 2019 First-Round Pick Connor McMichael Records Slick Assist, Third-Round Pick Protas Scores Goal and Adds Helper in Second Period of The Team’s First Preseason Tilt | NoVa Caps
Pingback: Capitals’ 2019 First-Round Pick Connor McMichael Records Slick Assist, Third-Round Pick Protas Scores Goal and Adds Helper in Second Period of The Team’s First Preseason Tilt | NoVa Caps
Pingback: Capitals’ 2019 First-Round Pick Connor McMichael Records Slick Assist, Third-Round Pick Aliaksei Protas Scores Goal and Adds Helper in Second Period of The Team’s First Preseason Tilt | NoVa Caps