Radko Gudas Scratched In Favor Of Nick Jensen, Ilya Samsonov To Start, T.J. Oshie And Tom Wilson Flip Back: Islanders at Capitals Pregame Notebook

Posted on February 10, 2020 by

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With rookie defenseman Martin Fehervary continuing to impress, the Washington Capitals will keep him in the lineup against the New York Islanders on Monday night. He will once again be paired with Dmitry Orlov.

After Nick Jensen was a healthy scratch in the team’s 7-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, he will draw back in and Radko Gudas will take a turn sitting in the press box on Monday.

Head coachTodd Reirden said it was the plan to have Jonas Siegenthaler (sat out of the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday), Jensen, Gudas each sit out one game as the team looked to get Fehervary into the lineup.

After forwards T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson flipped spots in the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday and stayed there against the Flyers, the two returned to their normal spots.

The Capitals ran their first power-play unit with forward Jakub Vrana on it but Wilson replaced him. Wilson was in the bumper spot and Oshie was positioned right in front of the net.

Goaltender Ilya Samsonov was in the starters’ net, signaling that he will start against the Islanders.

The Capitals did not make any line changes to their top-six forward group.

Capitals’ Lines vs. Islanders

From The Other Bench
Goaltender Thomas Greiss appears to be the starting goaltender for the Islanders. He recorded a .929 save percentage, a 1.70 goals-against average, and one shutout in three appearances against the Capitals last season but only won one of them.

Former Capitals’ head coach Barry Trotz, now with the Islanders, reiterated that he thinks Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who is two goals away from 700 in his NHL career, is the best goal scorer of all-time. “If I was a betting man, I would bet on [Ovechkin] breaking that goal scoring record. In my mind, there’s no doubt he’s going to do it,” he said.

The Islanders will insert forward Ross Johnston in favor of Keiffer Bellows in their lineup to match the Capitals’ heavy game.

From out of town, the Columbus Blue Jackets placed defenseman Seth Jones on injured reserve due to an ankle injury and announced that he will be out indefinitely. Forward Liam Foudy was called up from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on an emergency recall and defenseman Gabriel Carlsson was also recalled.

Islanders’ Lines at Capitals

Capitals Today

By Harrison Brown

About Harrison Brown

Harrison is a diehard Caps fan and a hockey fanatic with a passion for sports writing. He attended his first game at age 8 and has been a season ticket holder since the 2010-2011 season. His fondest Caps memory was watching the Capitals hoist the Stanley Cup in Las Vegas. In his spare time, he enjoys travel, photography, and hanging out with his two dogs. Follow Harrison on Twitter @HarrisonB927077
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1 Response to Radko Gudas Scratched In Favor Of Nick Jensen, Ilya Samsonov To Start, T.J. Oshie And Tom Wilson Flip Back: Islanders at Capitals Pregame Notebook

  1. Day One Caps Fan says:
    February 10, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    Saturday’s affair against the Philadelphia Flyers was one of the Caps’ most putrid efforts in 25 years. It was a STATEMENT by the players that “Our Coach … We don’t understand what he is doing” or words to that effect. 7-2 loss to PHI on home ice on a weekend is a major disaster.

    So we’re sitting Radko and hoping for the best. Did the Caps bag-skate on Sunday morning? They should have. Evidence is mounting that Caps players aren’t buying (at least all of) what Reirden is selling. Evidence is mounting that players have more contempt of the Coaching staff than respect.
    27 games to go. Time to improve, or get better leadership.

    Reply

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