Capitals vs. Bruins: Sourdif To Get Look At Center, Ovechkin & Fehervary Making Preseason Debuts, Big Night For Hopefuls
The Capitals play host to the Bruins in their second-to-last game of the preseason, a vital game for several roster hopefuls.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals are back in action on home ice on Thursday, as Alex Ovechkin and Martin Fehervary will make their preseason debuts against the Boston Bruins.
Ovechkin was dealing with a lower-body injury to open training camp, but recently upgraded to full contact and has been feeling good. Meanwhile, Fehervary has been held out mainly for precautionary reasons as the Capitals ramp up his training and get him back to full speed following meniscus surgery in April and a lengthy recovery.
Washington’s roster competition also continues to reach a boiling point, as Thursday will mark a pivotal game for the team with regard to who makes the final cut.
Up front, Sonny Milano and Hendrix Lapierre will both play and both seem like locks for the roster at this point. Fringe players in Andrew Cristall, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Ethen Frank are also in the mix against Boston and tasked with giving all they got in one of their final chances.
As coach Spencer Carbery said, the margins are thin, and the race will come down to the end.
“I’ll be dead honest, there’s not a lot of separation,” Carbery said of the race for a roster spot, adding, “There’s some little things inside of individual players’ games that put them over the top.”
Ilya Protas and Eriks Mateiko are both getting another look, too, with Protas suiting up at center. Both appear to be set to head to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, though Carbery has been impressed with their camps.
Meanwhile, Justin Sourdif will also get a look at center with Nic Dowd still working his way back after missing some time due to personal/family matters. Carbery wanted to to see Sourdif play down the middle at some point in camp, and said it’s a good opportunity to assess his versatility and ability to play multiple roles.
On defense, Vincent Iorio and Dylan McIlrath, who seem to be the frontrunners for that final spot, will suit up, with Ryan Chesley also dressing.
Charlie Lindgren appears set to play the entirety of the game.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena.