Screen cap: Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals made a formal announcement this morning regarding their lineup for tonight’s game, something they rarely do. John Carlson will return to the lineup tonight for the first time since December 23.
Carlson, who suffered a fractured skull and partially-severed temporal artery after taking a slapshot off the stick of former teammate Brenden Dillon back on December 23, has been slowly working his way back into playing condition, and the day has finally come.
“It feels great. It feels like a normal routine again. Just stuff that you are used to. I think that’s the hardest part, coming in at different times, being in different spots, being away, being home. It doesn’t feel the same and I’m glad to be back here now,” Carlson said after the team’s morning skate on Thursday.
Carlson skated with Martin Fehervary in this morning’s skate, indicating he will likely begin the game paired with the Capitals’ young defenseman. However, Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette indicated after practice that that’s just a starting point for tonight.
“I think we’re gonna look at a couple of different things. Marty and Sandin standout for us. I think tonight we’ll probably start with Marty, but I think we are open to change that to based on what we might need from a shutdown d-pair. We’ll look at, but I think we are going to start that way, with Marty.”
The return of Carlson tonight will mark a significant milstone for the Capitals this season, as at will be the first game in which Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov all appeared in the same lineup.
Tonight marks Game No. 73 of the 2022-23 season for the #Caps. It will be first time all season they’ve had the ’17-18 Cup core of Ovechkin, Backstrom, Wilson, Carlson, Oshie and Kuznetsov in lineup on same night; Orlov and Eller were dealt away ahead of trade deadline. 1/2
— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) March 23, 2023
Tonight’s game will also be the first time all season that the Capitals list of injured/unavailable players (Brown, Hagelin) is fewer than three players for any single game. It will also provide our first glimpse at the Capitals starting blueline for next season, as the roster stands today.
By Jon Sorensen