Capitals Open Preseason Sunday in Boston With Mix of Veterans, Newcomers and Prospects
The Washington Capitals will get their first look at the 2026-27 roster in game action Sunday afternoon when they visit the Boston Bruins at TD Garden for their preseason opener.
Washington and Boston are scheduled for a 5 p.m. puck drop Sunday, Sept. 20. The game will air locally on MNMT2, with radio coverage available through the Capitals Radio Network. It begins a compressed four-game preseason for Washington, making every exhibition significantly more important for players battling for roster spots.
Head coach Spencer Carbery will not bring the entire NHL lineup to Boston. Instead, Washington’s first preseason roster features an interesting combination of established players, offseason additions and young prospects trying to make an impression.
Capitals roster vs. Boston
Forwards: Anthony Beauvillier, Jonny Brodzinski, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Dunne, Boone Jenner, Lynden Lakovic, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Petr Sikora, Justin Sourdif, Alexander Suzdalev, Bogdan Trineyev, Alex Tuch and Tom Wilson.
Defensemen: Jérémie Biakabutuka, Jakob Chychrun, Vincent Desharnais, Justin Holl, Cole Hutson, Dylan McIlrath and Matt Roy.
Goaltenders: Mitchell Gibson and Logan Thompson.
It is hardly a traditional preseason lineup filled primarily with prospects. Washington is bringing several established NHL players, including Dubois, Wilson, Chychrun, Roy and Thompson, while also getting its first game look at several of the organization’s offseason additions.
That should make Sunday’s game particularly useful for Carbery and his coaching staff.
First look at Tuch and Jenner
Two of the biggest names to watch are Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner, who are expected to make their Capitals debuts.
Washington added Tuch and Jordan Kyrou before this summer’s NHL Draft and later signed Jenner in free agency. Jenner spent the previous five seasons as captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets and produced 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 67 games last season.
Tuch has already received an intriguing opportunity during training camp. Washington opened camp with Tuch skating alongside Dubois and Wilson, potentially giving the Capitals a large and physically imposing combination. Carbery has emphasized finding chemistry quickly because of the shortened training camp and preseason.
Sunday provides the first opportunity to see whether some of that practice chemistry translates into a game.
Jenner gives Washington another experienced, physical forward capable of playing in different situations. His preseason usage should provide an early indication of how Carbery envisions fitting him into a deeper Capitals forward group.
Brodzinski and Dunne will also get their first game action after joining Washington this summer.
Cole Hutson gets an early opportunity
Cole Hutson will be one of the most interesting young Capitals to watch.
Hutson participated in Washington’s rookie camp in Annapolis before moving into the main training camp. He opened camp skating with Vincent Desharnais, another newcomer to Washington’s blue line.
Sunday represents an opportunity for Hutson to show how his offensive instincts and puck-moving ability translate against an NHL-heavy opponent.
The Capitals do not need Hutson to dominate an exhibition game. They will likely be more interested in his decision-making, positioning, ability to handle pressure and willingness to move the puck quickly out of the defensive zone.
With only four preseason games, however, prospects have considerably fewer opportunities to make an impression than they would during a traditional six- or eight-game exhibition schedule.
Lakovic among prospects to watch
Lynden Lakovic is another intriguing player getting an immediate preseason opportunity.
The 2025 first-round pick participated in rookie camp before joining the main group and will now get a chance against Boston. Washington also has Miroshnichenko, Sikora, Sourdif, Suzdalev and Trineyev among the younger forwards scheduled to play.
Miroshnichenko is particularly worth monitoring as Washington continues evaluating where he fits within the organization’s forward depth.
Sourdif also received an interesting assignment at the beginning of camp. He practiced on a line with Jenner and Beauvillier, meaning Sunday’s game could provide Washington with an opportunity to continue evaluating that combination.
The Capitals have more competition for NHL jobs than they have had in several recent camps. That puts pressure on younger players to make their limited preseason appearances count.
Thompson begins his preparation
Logan Thompson and Mitchell Gibson are Washington’s two goaltenders for the opener, with the pair expected to divide the workload.
For Thompson, the objective is much different than Gibson’s. Thompson already has an established NHL role, so Sunday’s game is primarily about getting comfortable, tracking pucks through traffic and adjusting to game speed.
Gibson has considerably more to gain.
Any preseason opportunity against NHL-caliber shooters gives a developing goaltender a chance to demonstrate progress. Boston’s lineup contains enough NHL talent to provide a legitimate test.
Experienced defense around the prospects
Washington’s defensive group is another blend of NHL regulars and players competing for opportunities.
Chychrun and Roy give the Capitals an established pairing. They began camp together and could see some work together Sunday.
Washington also gets its first game look at Desharnais and Holl.
Desharnais averaged a career-high 18:11 of ice time over 53 games with San Jose last season. At 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, he gives Washington considerable size and another potential penalty-killing option. He recorded 83 blocked shots and 103 hits last season.
McIlrath brings additional size and physicality, while Biakabutuka will have an opportunity to show what he can do alongside a relatively experienced defensive group.
Boston bringing some serious talent
The Bruins are not rolling out an entirely prospect-based lineup either.
Boston’s forwards for the opener include Alex Steeves, James Hagens, Mark Kastelic, Ivan Ivan, Matt Poitras, Sean Kuraly, Riley Duran, Lukas Reichel, Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten, among others.
The Bruins’ defense could present Washington’s forwards with a particularly useful challenge. Charlie McAvoy headlines a group that also includes Mason Lohrei, Henri Jokiharju, Jordan Harris, Jonathan Aspirot, Frederic Brunet and Ty Gallagher.
Michael DiPietro and Jiri Patera are Boston’s scheduled goaltenders.
McAvoy’s presence alone gives Washington’s young forwards an opportunity to work against one of Boston’s established NHL defensemen rather than facing an entirely developmental preseason lineup.
Chemistry is the priority
Carbery made it clear when training camp opened that Washington does not have much time to experiment.
The Capitals have only four preseason games before beginning their regular season Oct. 1 at Carolina. Carbery said one of the staff’s biggest priorities is figuring out which combinations have chemistry and being prepared to adjust quickly if something does not work.
That makes the Dubois-Wilson combination particularly interesting Sunday.
Washington knows Dubois and Wilson can play together, but adding Tuch to that mix during camp gives the Capitals another possibility. At the same time, the coaching staff can evaluate Jenner, Beauvillier and Sourdif while determining where the organization’s new additions best fit.
Preseason results themselves mean relatively little. The combinations and individual performances matter considerably more.
Short preseason increases the urgency
Washington’s schedule will not provide much recovery time after Sunday’s game.
The Capitals travel to Boston for Sunday’s 5 p.m. opener and then immediately return to the region to face the Philadelphia Flyers at GIANT Center in Hershey at 7 p.m. Monday.
After that, Washington receives several days without a game before hosting Boston at Capital One Arena Friday, Sept. 25. The Capitals finish the preseason at Philadelphia Saturday, Sept. 26.
That gives Carbery only four exhibition games to evaluate combinations and make final roster decisions.
The NHL’s shortened preseason is part of a different schedule structure this season, and Washington entered camp with only 52 players divided primarily between an NHL-oriented group and a developmental group.
Sunday begins the process of turning those practice evaluations into game evaluations.
What to watch
The final score will be secondary. Washington has several more important questions to begin answering.
The chemistry involving Tuch, Dubois and Wilson will be worth watching whenever those players are used together. Jenner’s Capitals debut provides another look at how Washington’s revamped forward group could take shape.
Hutson and Lakovic will receive valuable opportunities against legitimate NHL competition, while Miroshnichenko, Sourdif and several other younger players have a chance to strengthen their cases for larger roles.
On defense, Washington can begin evaluating Desharnais and Holl in the Capitals’ system while Chychrun and Roy start preparing for the regular season.
And in goal, Thompson can begin getting his game timing back while Gibson receives an opportunity to make an impression.
MSB Take
This is exactly what a preseason opener should look like for the Capitals. Washington is bringing enough established players to make the game meaningful while giving several prospects and newcomers legitimate opportunities.
Tuch and Jenner will understandably receive plenty of attention, but Hutson may be the player I am most interested in watching. Washington has significantly more depth than it has had in some recent seasons, and that makes it harder for a young player to force his way into the NHL lineup. Hutson has an opportunity Sunday to show that he belongs in the conversation.
The abbreviated preseason also changes the equation. There is not much time for players to slowly work themselves into form or for prospects to have a bad night and wait three games for another chance. Washington plays Sunday, plays again Monday and has only two exhibitions remaining after that.
Sunday’s result will not matter in the standings, but what happens inside the game certainly matters for a Capitals team trying to establish its combinations quickly.
Puck drop: Sunday, Sept. 20, 5 p.m.
Location: TD Garden, Boston
TV: MNMT2
Radio: Capitals Radio Network
