On Sunday, Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette spoke to the media following today’s training camp session at Medstar Capitals Iceplex. He gave his thoughts on goaltender Ilya Samsonov and defenseman Michal Kempny and updated on who we can expect to see in the lineup for the Capitals’ fourth preseason game as they clash with the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (7 PM ET, not televised).
Samsonov missed today’s practice with a lower-body injury after playing Saturday’s entire 3-1 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He will be re-evaluated on Monday, according to the team. Laviolette said, “At this point in camp when guys have been on the ice for a while and something happens, you proceed with caution…he was able to finish the game. It is not something that happened after the game when he got in there. Something just popped up for him.”
He mentioned that Samsonov “played good” and “made some big saves.” Laviolette reiterated the team must “clean up the turnovers.” “We’ve got to do a better job of managing the game and managing the puck.”
Laviolette felt Kempny played “better” on Saturday, but knows Kempny is “still working through being off for a long time.” The head coach said, “He’s scheduled to be in games…continue to watch him play and give him ice time and try [to] continue to get him comfortable out there.” Assistant coach Kevin McCarthy is working with Kempny by “helping him with the game from a video standpoint.”
Laviolette did confirm that Vitek Vanecek will be in net for all three periods against the Devils. Prospects Hendrix Lapierre and Connor McMichael will also play. Laviolette did note that he was pleased with how well the younger guys played in Saturday’s game and we can expect a similar lineup Monday night.
Head coach Peter Laviolette meets with the media after today’s training camp session at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. #ALLCAPS | @socios pic.twitter.com/3rQRbq1pEM
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 3, 2021
By Della Young
