The Washington Capitals are set to play their second preseason game tonight when they host the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Area. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.

Zach Fucale will get the start in goal, with Ilya Samsonov coming in relief. Defenseman Michal Kempny will make his 2021 preseason debut tonight.

Capitals’ plan in net tonight vs NJD is to have Zach Fucale start and Ilya Samsonov will come in eventually to close it out.

Should also see an Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Mantha line + Protas-Lapierre-Oshie.

Kempny also getting his first preseason game of the season.

— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) September 29, 2021

Lines for tonight have not yet been released, but we should see Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Mantha on a top-six line and Protas-Lapierre-Oshie on the second middle-six line. Michal Kempny will also getting be his first preseason game of the season.

Fucale, a 6’-2” 190lb netminder from Laval, Quebec, was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round (#36 overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was originally signed by the Capitals to a one-year, two-way contract ($700,000/$75,000) on August 19, 2020, and subsequently signed a two-year, two-way contract for $750,000/$150,000 in 2021-22 and and $750,000/$160,000 in 2022-23 on March 28, 2021. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season.

[Zach Fucale: 2021 Annual Review and Forecast]

Fucale, 26, went 9-2-0 with a .932 save percentage and a 1.80 GAA in 11 games played last season, the best in the AHL.

Rosters for tonight:

The Capitals have two extra forwards and one extra defenseman on the roster for tonight. Going by the morning skate, Malenstyn, Morelli and Johansen will be the players who won’t dress.

Capitals’ head coach Peter Laviolette met with the media following practice this morning at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.

Head coach Peter Laviolette discusses expectations for the preseason debuts of a couple of the vets at tonight’s game, as well as the return of Michal Kempny. #CapsDevils | @socios pic.twitter.com/CklIPaH4bB

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 29, 2021

In total, 13 players selected by Washington in the NHL draft are in the lineup for Washington on Wednesday.

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By Jon Sorensen