The Washington Capitals have just two wins in their past 10 games, and the task at hand won’t get any easier Monday night at Capital One Arena. The Los Angeles Kings come to town with a 9-1-2 record in road games this year, and with 24 points, they’re in first place in the Pacific Division, third in the Western Conference and fifth in the NHL.
The Capitals, with 18 points, are last in the Metropolitan Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference and 27th in the NHL.
In Washington Coach Spencer Carbery’s view, the Kings are one of the best defensive teams in the NHL. The Capitals have struggled mightily to score goals, making Monday’s matchup one that will be a tough hill to climb for the home team.
“They limit all the things that you try to do offensively,” Carbery said Monday morning. “They’re usually right at the top or they are at the top of those statistics. Limiting time and space, not giving you high-danger opportunities. Very rare to get an odd-man rush against them. Usually, they’re not going to shoot themselves in the foot. They’re going to make you have to earn everything you get against them.”
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Former Washington goaltender Darcy Kuemper is expected to start for Los Angeles. Kuemper shut out the Capitals in the teams’ previous meeting in March in Los Angeles. Charlie Lindgren, who hasn’t started since Nov. 6, will be in goal for Washington.
The Capitals play again Wednesday at home against the Edmonton Oilers, then in Montreal on Thursday. The three-games-in-four-days schedule sets up Logan Thompson to play Wednesday and Lindgren to play Thursday against his former team.
“We just looked at the schedule, spoke as a staff, consulted on where we felt like we needed to get Chuckie back into the net,” Carbery said. “We felt like this was the appropriate time.”
Defenseman John Carlson missed Saturday’s loss with an upper-body injury. Carbery said Carlson will be a game-time decision Monday, but he took part in the morning skate and appears poised to play.
How to watch Kings at Capitals
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Capital One Arena
TV: Monumental Sports Network
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM)
Projected lineups
Washington Capitals
Forwards
Connor McMichael — Dylan Strome — Alex Ovechkin
Aliaksei Protas — Justin Sourdif — Tom Wilson
Anthony Beauvillier — Hendrix Lapierre — Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime — Nic Dowd — Ethen Frank
Defensemen
Martin Fehervary — John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun — Matt Roy
Rasmus Sandin — Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goaltenders
Charlie Lindgren
Logan Thompson
Los Angeles Kings
Forwards
Joel Armia — Anze Kopitar — Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala — Quinton Byfield — Alex Laferriere
Warren Foegele — Phillip Danault — Trevor Moore
Jeff Malott — Alex Turcotte — Corey Perry
Defensemen
Joel Edmundson — Brandt Clarke
Mikey Anderson — Cody Ceci
Jacob Moverare — Brian Dumoulin
Goaltenders
Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg
Pregame reading
Why can’t the Capitals win in the shootout?
Capitals follow a painfully familiar script, end trip with loss to Panthers
This NHL rookie is living the dream. That doesn’t mean life is easy.
The post The Capitals are spiraling. It won’t get any easier against the Kings.
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