Capitals Close Preseason in Philadelphia With Youth and Roster Battles Taking Center Stage
The Washington Capitals finish their four-game preseason schedule Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena, and the finale should look considerably different from Friday night’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins. Washington used virtually its expected opening-night lineup against Boston, making the second half of the back-to-back a logical opportunity for prospects, depth players and roster hopefuls to receive one final evaluation before the regular season.
Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, with Monumental Sports Network carrying the game. Washington then has nearly a week to prepare for its regular-season opener at Carolina on Friday, Oct. 2.
That makes Saturday less about the preseason result and more about decisions. Spencer Carbery and the Capitals’ front office have already gotten an extended look at most of their NHL regulars. The finale provides one final game environment to evaluate players fighting for jobs in Washington or positioning themselves to become early-season recalls from Hershey.
Expect a Very Different Capitals Lineup
Washington essentially held its dress rehearsal Friday. Alex Ovechkin and injured defenseman Rasmus Sandin were the notable regulars missing, while Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Tom Wilson, Ryan Leonard, Jordan Kyrou, Aliaksei Protas, Boone Jenner, Alex Tuch, Jakob Chychrun and much of Washington’s expected NHL defense dressed against Boston.
Playing many of those veterans again less than 24 hours later would provide limited evaluation value and unnecessary preseason wear. Washington also scheduled a Saturday morning practice and scrimmage for the players who are not participating against Philadelphia, further indicating that the organization has split its roster into different working groups for the final day of preseason action.
The exact game roster is important, however, and Washington had not posted a complete confirmed lineup in the official material available when this preview was researched. Therefore, any individual discussed below as a potential participant should be viewed as a player to watch if dressed, rather than a confirmed member of Saturday’s lineup.
Ovechkin Will Not Play
One player Washington has already ruled out is Ovechkin.
Carbery confirmed Friday that the Capitals captain would sit out both the Boston game and Saturday’s finale. Ovechkin has been dealing with a lower-body injury, but the decision is precautionary rather than an indication that Washington expects him to miss meaningful games.
Ovechkin returned to a full practice Thursday and participated in Friday’s morning skate. Carbery said he expects the 41-year-old to be ready for the Oct. 2 opener unless he suffers a setback.
There is consequently little reason to expose Ovechkin to an exhibition game on the second half of a back-to-back. Getting him healthy for Carolina is far more important than getting him preseason minutes.
Washington’s Young Forwards Could Get Their Opportunity
The Capitals have several intriguing young forwards who have spent training camp trying to force themselves into Washington’s immediate plans.
Andrew Cristall remains one of the most interesting. The highly skilled forward has developed into one of Washington’s premier young offensive talents, and preseason games provide an opportunity to determine how close his creativity and puck skills are to translating consistently against NHL competition.
Ivan Miroshnichenko is another player worth watching closely if he gets into the finale. Miroshnichenko has already experienced NHL hockey and represents one of Washington’s more NHL-ready depth options. Every strong preseason performance can improve his standing when the Capitals need reinforcements during the regular season.
Ilya Protas also remains part of Washington’s emerging generation. His combination of size and skill makes him an intriguing developmental player, and Washington gave him preseason work earlier in camp alongside established NHL talent.
Those players appeared in Washington’s 5-2 preseason victory over Philadelphia in Hershey earlier this week, when the Capitals intentionally mixed established players with prospects and depth options.
Miroshnichenko Has Something to Prove
Miroshnichenko’s situation is particularly interesting because he is no longer simply an unknown prospect.
Washington has seen him at the NHL level, and the question is increasingly whether he can establish himself as a consistent NHL contributor rather than merely an occasional call-up. His offensive ability has never been the primary question. The challenge is demonstrating enough consistency away from the puck and throughout complete shifts to earn Carbery’s trust.
A preseason finale against Philadelphia would be another useful test. With many established Capitals potentially sitting, younger forwards should receive more important minutes, special-teams opportunities and late-game situations than they would alongside a full NHL lineup.
Those situations can tell Washington considerably more than a few sheltered shifts on a veteran-heavy line.
Cristall Could Be One of the Most Interesting Players
Cristall’s offensive ceiling makes every opportunity meaningful.
He brings the type of creativity that can change a possession quickly, particularly when he has the puck in space. The Capitals do not need him simply to accumulate preseason points, however. They need to determine whether he can consistently create those opportunities against larger and faster professional players while remaining reliable in the other areas of the game.
That distinction matters when evaluating prospects in September. A spectacular scoring play can get attention, but coaches are also watching positioning, puck management, defensive details, line changes and decisions under pressure.
If Cristall plays significant minutes Saturday, those smaller details could matter just as much as whether he appears on the scoresheet.
The Hershey Connection
Washington’s relationship with the Hershey Bears makes these final preseason decisions especially interesting.
Hershey opened training camp this week, and several players have already moved from Washington’s camp into the Bears’ group. As of Sept. 24, Hershey’s roster included Ludwig Persson, Jon McDonald, Petr Sikora, Alexander Suzdalev and other players developing within Washington’s system.
That means the Capitals are reaching the stage where their organizational depth chart begins taking shape.
A player who does not make Washington’s opening-night roster is not necessarily far from the NHL. Injuries, performance and schedule demands inevitably create opportunities during an 82-game season, and strong work during training camp can determine who receives the first call from Hershey.
That gives Saturday’s game additional significance for Washington’s bubble players.
Defensemen Also Have Something to Gain
Washington’s defensive competition deserves attention as well.
The Capitals used Chychrun, Matt Roy, Lane Hutson, Vincent Desharnais, Martin Fehervary and Timothy Liljegren against Boston on Friday. With Sandin continuing his rehabilitation from offseason knee surgery, Washington has needed additional flexibility on defense throughout camp.
Players such as Ryan Chesley, Dylan McIlrath, Justin Holl and Jacob McDonald have consequently received valuable opportunities during the preseason.
Chesley is particularly interesting from a developmental standpoint. Washington does not have to rush him, but every game against NHL-caliber opposition gives the organization another opportunity to evaluate how quickly his defensive game is progressing.
For veterans and depth defensemen, the equation is different. They need to demonstrate that Carbery can trust them when injuries inevitably require Washington to reach deeper into its organizational depth.
Philadelphia Has Already Made Major Cuts
The Flyers enter Saturday much closer to their regular-season roster than they were when these teams met Monday.
Philadelphia reduced its training-camp roster by four players Friday, bringing the group down to 26 players. That is only three above the NHL regular-season maximum of 23, meaning the Flyers have some important final decisions remaining.
Among the players moved out of Philadelphia’s NHL camp were Jett Luchanko, Cole Knuble, Jacob Gaucher and Carson Bjarnason. Luchanko and Knuble had been among the young Flyers used against Washington earlier in the preseason.
That substantially changes the context of Saturday’s game.
Philadelphia cannot simply ice the same prospect-heavy lineup Washington faced in Hershey. The Flyers’ remaining roster is much closer to the group from which their opening-night team will be selected.
Flyers Have Their Own Young Talent to Evaluate
Philadelphia still has several intriguing players who could make Saturday’s game meaningful.
Porter Martone entered camp as one of the organization’s most closely watched young forwards. Alex Bump and Denver Barkey have also been prominent prospects in Philadelphia’s system, while Oliver Bonk remains one of its important young defensemen.
The first meeting between the teams provided those prospects with NHL preseason competition. Philadelphia used a lineup featuring Martone, Bump, Barkey, Bonk, Luchanko, Knuble and several other younger players against Washington.
Saturday comes at a different stage of camp. With Philadelphia down to 26 players, opportunities are disappearing quickly.
Capitals Already Beat Philadelphia Once
Washington has already seen Philadelphia this preseason.
The Capitals defeated the Flyers 5-2 Monday night at Giant Center in Hershey. Philadelphia’s lineup was prospect-heavy, while Washington used an interesting combination of NHL talent and young players.
Washington’s roster that night included Strome, Leonard, Kyrou and Aliaksei Protas alongside Cristall, Ilya Protas, Miroshnichenko, Ethen Frank, Theodor Niederbach, Josh Dunne, Ludwig Persson and Bogdan Trineyev. On defense, Fehervary and Liljegren were joined by several players competing for organizational positioning.
The rematch should therefore provide a useful comparison.
Some players who received major opportunities Monday may get another audition Saturday, while others have already been reassigned. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has substantially reduced its roster.
Back-to-Back Changes Washington’s Priorities
The scheduling is important when evaluating what Washington wants from this game.
Friday night’s matchup against Boston was clearly designed as the dress rehearsal. Carbery put virtually his entire expected NHL roster together and gave Washington’s primary combinations an opportunity to build chemistry.
Saturday serves a different purpose.
Washington does not need another dress rehearsal approximately 22 hours later. The organization needs information about the players immediately behind its established NHL group.
That could mean younger forwards getting power-play time, depth defensemen facing difficult assignments and goaltenders receiving one final opportunity before Washington establishes its opening-night hierarchy.
Special Teams Remain Worth Watching
Washington’s power play produced all three goals in Friday’s 3-2 overtime victory over Boston.
Strome, Wilson and Kyrou scored with the man advantage, with Kyrou ending the game just 11 seconds into overtime. That performance provided encouraging evidence that Washington’s revamped personnel can generate opportunities on special teams.
Saturday could be about evaluating the next group.
If Washington rests many of Friday’s regulars, younger players could receive power-play positions they normally would not get during the regular season. Those opportunities matter because they show coaches which players can step into specialized roles when injuries strike.
The same applies to the penalty kill. A prospect who can contribute on special teams has another avenue toward earning NHL minutes.
Goaltending Will Be Another Storyline
Washington used Logan Thompson against Boston on Friday, making it unlikely that he would need another full workload less than a day later.
Clay Stevenson dressed as Thompson’s backup Friday and remains an important part of Washington’s organizational goaltending depth. Charlie Lindgren has also been part of the preseason rotation.
The finale therefore offers another chance for Washington to evaluate its depth behind Thompson.
For an organization with legitimate postseason expectations, reliable goaltending depth is important. Washington knows what Thompson can do. Preseason games are particularly valuable for learning what the club has behind him.
What Washington Needs to Accomplish
The Capitals do not need Saturday’s game to determine whether Strome, Wilson, Dubois, Chychrun or Washington’s other established veterans belong on the team.
Those decisions have already been made.
Instead, Washington needs to identify which players can help when the inevitable injuries arrive. The coaching staff also needs to determine which younger players require additional AHL development and which ones are close enough to NHL-ready that they should remain near the top of the recall list.
That is why the individual performances could matter considerably more than the final score.
MSB Take
Do not expect Saturday’s Capitals-Flyers game to resemble Friday night’s matchup against Boston.
Washington used Friday as its primary NHL dress rehearsal. With the preseason finale coming less than 24 hours later, this is exactly the situation where Carbery can give younger players and organizational depth pieces a substantial workload without unnecessarily exposing his established veterans to another exhibition game.
That makes this one especially interesting for Capitals fans who follow Hershey and Washington’s prospect system. Cristall, Miroshnichenko, Ilya Protas and the other young players still around the NHL group have an opportunity to show how close they are to helping Washington. On defense, the Capitals can continue evaluating the players immediately behind their projected NHL six.
Philadelphia adds another layer because the Flyers cut their camp roster to just 26 players Friday. Washington’s younger group could therefore be tested against a Philadelphia roster much closer to NHL strength than the prospect-heavy lineup the Capitals defeated 5-2 Monday in Hershey.
The scoreboard still matters, but the evaluation matters more. Washington already knows what most of its opening-night lineup can do. Saturday is about figuring out who comes next.
Game information: Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers, Saturday, Sept. 26, 5 p.m. at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The game is scheduled for Monumental Sports Network, with radio coverage through the Capitals Radio Network and Team 980 joining in progress.
