The Washington Capitals held their gameday morning skate Monday morning at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. They will host the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at Capital One Arena.

Daniel Sprong was added to the third line at this morning’s line rushes. It looks as though Joe Snively will be a healthy scratch tonight. Dmitry Orlov (personal reasons) missed morning skate. The Capitals lines at morning skate:

Capitals lines at AM skate ahead of Toronto:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Sheary-Backstrom-Oshie
McMichael-Eller-Sprong
Hagelin-Dowd-Hathaway

Fehervary-Carlson
Irwin*-Jensen
Kempny-TvR

*Irwin looks to be filling in for Orlov (personal reasons), Schultz was w/ an extra d-pair

— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) February 28, 2022

Ilya Samsonov will start in goal tonight against the maple Leafs.

Justin Schultz filled in for Orlov on the power play drills.

Capitals PP1: Carlson, Ovechkin, Oshie, Backstrom, Kuznetsov.

PP2: Schultz, Sprong, Wilson, Sheary, Eller.

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) February 28, 2022

From the “good news” department, today’s morning skate was the first time that Anthony Mantha was cleared for contact.

Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette said today was the first day Anthony Mantha (shoulder surgery) was cleared for contact.

— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) February 28, 2022

The Capitals face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at Capital One Arena for the first time since Oct. 29, 2019, a 4-3 overtime win at Scotiabank Arena. Washington has won three straight games against Toronto, a streak that began on Feb. 21, 2019, and each of the last three games have been one-goal games.

Among active players in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin ranks first in goals (41g) and points (73) against the Maple Leafs, despite not playing in the same division as Toronto. Ovechkin’s 0.82 goals per game rate against the Maple Leafs is the highest rate he has against any Eastern Conference team.

Osh Babe

T.J. Oshie, who has points in four straight games against Toronto (5a), returned to the lineup on Feb. 24 against the New York Rangers after missing the previous 14 games due to injury and has a goal in his last two games. With Oshie in the lineup this season, the Capitals are 12-4-4, good for an .800 points percentage, which equates to 131-points over an 82-game season. Additionally, the Capitals hold a record of 6-2-2 when Oshie records a point.

Black History Night

The Capitals will celebrate Black History Night tonight at Capital One Arena. The evening will honor the organization’s history, celebrate Black achievement in hockey and highlight how the Capitals are working to further grow the game in the region. Capitals alumnus Bill Riley and his granddaughter Kryshanda Green will participate in a ceremonial puck drop. Riley made his NHL debut with the Capitals in 1974, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian to play in the NHL and the third Black player to play in the League. In 125 games with the Capitals, Riley recorded 28 goals and 28 assists. Green is the former and first Black captain of the Ryerson University Rams women’s hockey team. While at Ryerson, Green broke the all-time points and assists records, graduating from Ryerson with a B.A. in politics and governance and currently serves on the NHL’s Youth Hockey Inclusion Council.

Vitek Vanecek

Vanecek was recalled from Hershey on Monday after a successful conditioning game for the Bears Sunday night. He met with the media after Monday’s morning skate.

Russian Security

There are reports that teams are stepping up security for their Russian players due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Some teams are upping their security because of this. Heard last night some Russian players have received serious death threats via DMs. https://t.co/McLMTgVQOl

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 28, 2022

The NHL released an official statement Monday afternoon, condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and announcing sanctions against Russia.

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