Per Mike Vogel, initial thoughts by the coach of getting Michael Latta back in the lineup tonight have gone by the wayside – at least for one more game – and the Caps will go with the same lineup that picked up two points against the Red Wings over the weekend. With that in mind, here’s a look at what the lines and defensive pairings will look like… with Braden Holtby (who else?) back between the pipes to continue his streak:
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Andre Burakovsky
Marcus Johansson – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Troy Brouwer
Brooks Laich – Eric Fehr – Joel Ward
Jason Chimera – Jay Beagle – Tom Wilson
That leaves Justin Peters, fresh off his conditioning stint in Hershey, riding the pine as Holtby’s backup, Latta as the lone healthy scratches, and Dmitry Orlov, John Erskine and Aaron Volpatti still on the IR.