Capitals vs. Senators: Lines, Notes, & How to Watch

The Washington Capitals (33-27-8) play the second of their four-game homestand on Wednesday night. They will host the Ottawa Senators (34-23-9) at Capital One Arena.

The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Capitals opened the homestand against Boston this past Saturday. However, the Bruins won 3-2 as a result of a nine-round shootout.

Blueliners Matt Roy and Rasmus Sandin each scored for the Capitals on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, the loss widened the gap between Washington and Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

The Capitals will take the ice after a three-day break on Wednesday. More importantly, this game will mark the NHL debut for defenseman Cole Hutson.

Hutson joins the Capitals after his sophomore season at Boston University came to an end. The 19-year-old was selected by Washington in the second round (43rd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Since returning from the Olympic break, the Capitals are 4-4-1. That’s not exactly the best sign that the team will reach the playoffs.

Both goaltending and defense have been helpful factors for the Capitals, but they have struggled offensively. Perhaps Hutson will give the team a much-needed boost.

Meanwhile, Ottawa has fared much better since the Olympic break with a 6-1-2 record. The Senators (.778) boast the third-best points percentage in the League across that span.

Ottawa also leads the Capitals by three points in the East heading into Wednesday’s game. The Senators have also taken the first two meetings this season, winning 7-1 on Oct. 25, and 4-3 on New Year’s Day.

Expected Capitals Lines

Forwards

Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Anthony Beauvillier

Aliaksei Protas – Hendrix Lapierre – Tom Wilson

Connor McMichael – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Ryan Leonard

Brandon Duhaime – Justin Sourdif – Ethen Frank

Defensemen

Jakob Chychrun – Trevor van Riemsdyk

Cole Hutson – Matt Roy

Martin Fehervary – Rasmus Sandin

Goalies

Logan Thompson

Charlie Lindgren

Expected Senators Lines

Forwards

Drake Batherson – Tim Stutzle – Claude Giroux

Brady Tkachuk – Nick Cozens – Ridly Greig

Nick Cousins – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio

Warren Foegele – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund

Defensemen

Thomas Chabot – Artem Zub

Tyler Kleven – Jordan Spence

Dennis Gilbert – Nikolas Mantipalo

Goalies

James Reimer

Linus Ullmark

How to Watch

TV: Monumental Sports Network

Radio: 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio Network

By Harry Lichtman

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for Sportsnaut. He also contributes to the sites ... More about Harry Lichtman