ARLINGTON Va.– The Washington Capitals are not expected to make any changes to their lineup ahead of Game 3 of their second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Capitals evened the series at a game apiece Sunday with a 4-1 win in Game 2.
“Everybody’s fine,” head coach Barry Trotz said Monday before the team chartered to Pittsburgh. “Same travelling party. Same lineup.”
Capitals forward T.J. Oshie appeared to hurt himself after blocking a Justin Schultz shot in the final minute of Game 2, but Trotz said Oshie is good to go. Evgeny Kuznetsov is also fine, according to Trotz, after he absorbed a Kris Letang slash late in the third period of Game 2.
Aside from the health front, there was some thought that the Capitals would potentially have been shorthanded for Game 3 had Tom Wilson been suspended for his hit on Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
Early in the second period of Game 2, Wilson and Alex Ovechkin collided with Dumoulin, with Wilson making contact with Dumoulin’s head. The Penguins defenseman was skating up ice, but adjusted his position to brace for a hit from Ovechkin. Because Dumoulin had adjusted his position just before the contact was made, Wilson avoided a suspension.
“The league is a neutral party,” Trotz said. “They look at it. I know each organization, each fan base, will have their own opinions. That’s why there’s a neutral party in it. Whatever they decided, we were fine with.”
