The Washington Capitals will be without forward T.J. Oshie during their western road trip. Oshie was injured in the second period in the 5-0 loss against the Edmonton Oilers. He was skating up ice and collided with Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm. There was no penalty on the play and Oshie did not return for the game.
T.J. Oshie has gone to the locker room after taking a hit from Ekholm pic.twitter.com/uVAGqQRJ5A
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 24, 2023
RELATED: Takeaways From The Capitals 5-0 Defeat To Edmonton Oilers
First things first. Oshie’s wife, Lauren, provided an update on his health on her Instagram story.
“Thanks so much for all the kind messages. TJ’s doing much better this morning and instead of traveling with the team he will be recovering at home.”
Now diving into his play on the ice, it has not gone as planned for No. 77. He went goalless in 16 games and finally got on the board against the Buffalo Sabres. He had one assist prior to his tally, but the hope was that his marker would give a spark to the 36-year-old winger.
So how does Oshie’s absence affect the Capitals’ lineup?
The likely substitute for Oshie is Matthew Phillips. This is only because Phillips is a right-winger and should slide right into the second line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sonny Milano.
Phillips has four points (one goal, three assists) through 14 games this season. The most success he has had is playing with Milano and Dylan Strome. The trio played three games together and had four high danger chances and scored two goals. They also had an xGF of 1.25.
Here would be the possible lines with Phillips.
Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
Sonny Milano – Dylan Strome – Matthew Phillips
Aliaksei Protas – Connor McMichael – Anthony Mantha
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
However, the Capitals might be better off moving Connor McMichael to the wing in order for Hendrix Lapierre to slide back into the lineup. Lapierre was terrific against the Buffalo Sabres and found great chemistry when playing with Milano and Aliaksei Protas. The trio had eight points (three goals, five assists) in the 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Lapierre had three points (one goal, two assists) in that game.
Here are the possible lines if Lapierre suits up.
Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Anthony Mantha
Sonny Milano – Hendrix Lapierre – Aliaksei Protas
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Another void that will need to be filled is Oshie’s spot on the power play. Even though everything needs shuffling on the man-advantage, after going scoreless for the 10th straight game, losing Oshie does not help because he is one of the best players in the league at shooting in the bumper position.
Tom Wilson replaced him against Edmonton and that will likely be the case for the time being.
It would not be a surprise if the Capitals make a call up to have an extra forward on the roster before heading on the road.
The Capitals will take on the San Jose Sharks on Monday, Nov. 27 at 10:30 p.m. EST.
By Jacob Cheris