Just an optional skate for the boys this morning, so hard to tell what the lines will be – or if Alex Ovechkin is back in the lineup. Tonight’s lineup is a bit unknown… so let’s take a stab at it, shall we? Here’s a look at what the lines and defensive pairings could be should the captain draw back into the lineup, with the only certainty, Braden Holtby, back between the pipes:
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Marcus Johansson
Curtis Glencross – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Troy Brouwer
Brooks Laich – Eric Fehr – Joel Ward
Jason Chimera – Jay Beagle – Tom Wilson
That would leave Justin Peters backing up Holtby, Andre Burakovsky likely on his way back to Hershey per the rules of his emergency recall, Latta out with an upper-body injury, and Dmitry Orlov and John Erskine still on the IR.