Ilya Kovalchuk Starts On Third-Line; Richard Panik Demoted; Braden Holtby Starts: Jets at Capitals Pregame Notebook

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Harrison Brown
@CapitalsPhoto: @Capitals

Forward Ilya Kovalchuck, who was acquired in a trade that sent a 2020 third-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night, will make his Washington Capitals‘ debut against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday (7 PM ET, NBC Sports Washington). He will start on the third-line with Richard Panik sliding down to the fourth. Brendan Leipsic will come out of the lineup.

Kovalchuk also skated with center Evgeny Kuznetsov, forward Tom Wilson, center Lars Eller, and defenseman Dmitry Orlov on the second power-play unit in the bumper spot.

Goaltender Braden Holtby will make his sixth appearance in seven games against the Jets on Tuesday.

Forward Daniel Sprong, who was acquired in a trade that sent defenseman Christian Djoos to the Anaheim Ducks just prior to the NHL Trade Deadline at 3 PM ET on Monday, will be assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Reminder: The Capitals will honor captain Alex Ovechkin for reaching the 700-goal milestone prior to the game. You can find details here. The Capitals laid out Ovechkin mini-jerseys on the seats at Capital One Arena. The Capitals will also start their annual heritage series tonight with Czech heritage night.

On the Jets’ side, forward Janssen Harkins will be elevated to the top-line with center Mark Schiefele and captain Blake Wheeler.

Goaltender Laurent Brossoit, who is 6-7-0 with an .893 save percentage and a 3.32 goals-against average in 18 games this season, is expected to start for the Jets. He stopped 18 of 19 shots in the lone appearance of his career against the Capitals, a 2-1 shootout loss as a member of the Edmonton Oilers on November 12, 2017.

Defenseman Josh Morrissey, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, was not on ice this morning for Jets’ skate. He is doubtful for Tuesday night’s contest against the Capitals.

Capitals’ Lines vs. Jets

Jets’ Lines at Capitals

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
This entry was posted in Games, Lineups, Morning Skate, News, Players, Washington Capitals and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Ilya Kovalchuk Starts On Third-Line; Richard Panik Demoted; Braden Holtby Starts: Jets at Capitals Pregame Notebook

  1. hockeydruid says:
    February 25, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    RP should be in the stands watching not demoted to the 4th line. Wonder who is not going to be exposed for the entry draft and who Seattle will take.

    Reply
  2. Esteban says:
    February 25, 2020 at 1:49 pm

    Look at that Caps lineup and count the number of future Hall of Fame’rs starting tonight.

    Reply
  3. Marky says:
    February 25, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    I like Panik but this should be a better top 9. Panik game is fine except his scoring is down, seems to not have jelled with Eller-Hags as much as he should/could have. He should be fine on the 4th line who don’t score anyway…

    The Caps have started to play better very recently so hopefully they can keep making strides and be at full go by early March and into the playoffs. Holtby looks much better too right now.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to MarkyCancel reply