WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is expected to return from injury Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN).

"He'll take the warmup, and we'll see from there," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "I would say he's probable. I anticipate him probably being in. But we'll leave a little leeway in the warmup."

Carlson has missed the past 12 games because of a lower-body injury; he last played Dec. 26. He wouldn't confirm if he was playing but said he's ready.

"There's a lot of other things that go into it. And I've been feeling good for the past week or week and a half or so, and I just keep progressing and getting better, which is a positive," Carlson said. "We'll see where that takes us."

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Goaltender Ryan Miller will be in net when the Vancouver Canucks begin their six-game road trip Thursday against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center (7 p.m. ET; SN360, CSN-DC).

Miller missed eight games because of a groin injury sustained Dec. 20 against the Florida Panthers. After backing up Jacob Markstrom the past two games, Miller said he is ready to start.

"I had little nagging things here and there but this was just a weird one," Miller said Wednesday. "I expected it to be a lot shorter and it lingered a little longer. I pride myself on being prepared and not having to face a lot of these things over my career because I feel I can get ahead of it."

Against the Panthers, Miller left the game after Panthers forward Brandon Pirri scored on his shootout attempt.

"I got cramped up and it wasn't as preventable," Miller said. "It was Florida, it was warm and it's more that I didn't feel good in Detroit (Dec. 18) and got dehydrated and that was a shootout game. It was also at the end of a road trip and we had been travelling a lot and it kind of builds up."

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is questionable to play against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday at Verizon Center (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, BELL TV, CSN-DC). He did not practice Wednesday.

Carlson did not play against the Sabres on Monday, snapping his streak of 412 consecutive games played. Carlson has 27 points in 34 games this season and leads the Capitals (27-6-2) with an average ice time of 24:28 per game.

Capitals coach Barry Trotz said Carlson was having an MRI and the results of that would determine Carlson's status for the game Wednesday.

"Just wanted to take a look at his injury and we’ll see where he is when he gets back," Trotz said.

WASHINGTON -- Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov has faced his share of challenges this season but enters the game Friday against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center (7 p.m. ET; SUN, CSN-DC) having scored six goals in his past six games.

Kucherov leads the Lightning in goals with 12 and points with 20, but has had to adjust to playing with new linemates after his usual cohorts, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, were injured. Palat has missed two games and Johnson has missed three, each with an undisclosed injury. Johnson, Palat and Kucherov, known together as "The Triplets," played together most of last season.

Kucherov is currently on a line with Steven Stamkos and Vladislav Namestnikov, and Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he's been impressed by the maturity and adaptability the 22-year old has shown through the process.

"He's pushed his game to another level," Cooper said. "Don't get me wrong, he's the first guy to tell you he can't wait for Palat and Johnson to come back, but he's finding chemistry with [Namestnikov] and [Stamkos] and you need that, because there's no guarantee that lines are going to stick together for the whole year. What happened last year, I don't want to say it's rare, but it's great that we have that in our back pocket. You've got to be able to play with other players and I think that [Kucherov] is coming to terms with that and he's flourishing."

WASHINGTON -- Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond will start against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center on Wednesday.

Hammond hasn’t played since Nov. 12, when he sustained a concussion against the Vancouver Canucks.

“I don’t feel like I have any nerves,” Hammond said. “It’s just excited to get going again. It’s another game and a really good challenge against the best team in our conference right now.”

In 29 NHL games, Hammond has a 22-1-4 record, but he isn’t concerned with preserving his record so much as proving the Senators can compete with the Capitals, who lead the Eastern Conference with 44 points.

“I think anytime you’re playing the teams that you’re chasing, it’s more or less a measuring stick for your group,” Hammond said. “We believe in ourselves in this room, but they’re [Washington] kind of the team that’s proven it so far this season that they’re able to do it night in and night out. That’s really what we’re aspiring to be right now.”

WASHINGTON -- Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green has already played against his former team, the Washington Capitals, twice this season. He'll return to the Verizon Center for the first time since signing with the Red Wings during the offseason Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SNE, SNO, SNP).

He admitted that it was a little strange to be in the visitor's locker room after 10 seasons going to the one down the hall.

Green has been playing top minutes with defensive partner Niklas Kronwall and despite missing some time because of injury, he has 11 points in 21 games this season.

"I think it's tough to find where you fit in at times but the guys made me feel welcome and it was an easy transition in that sense," Green said. "Things have gone well here; the team's playing great so that's always a positive."

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has twice as many goals through 19 games this season as last season, but only one goal on the power play.

The Capitals play the Winnipeg Jets, who lead the NHL in penalty minutes per game, Wednesday at Verizon Center (7 p.m. ET; TSN3, CSN-DC).

The Jets have been called for 122 penalties through 22 games, most in the NHL.

Last season, Ovechkin had five goals through 19 games and four power-play goals. This season Ovechkin has nine at even-strength -- and one power-play goal.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Forward Nicklas Backstrom underscored the importance of the Washington Capitals (13-5-1) having a strong start Monday when they play the Edmonton Oilers (7-12-1) at Verizon Center (7 p.m. ET; SNW, CSN-DC).

The Capitals broke a nine-game streak of giving up the first goal of a game in their 7-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and scored four goals in the first period.

Against the Oilers, a quick, fast-skating team, the Capitals have to be cautious they don't get caught in a run-and-gun game.

"Last time we played them (a 7-4 win in Edmonton on Oct. 23), I thought they were pretty quick," Backstrom said. "They're always dangerous, wherever they are. They can score from everywhere. They go to the net and crash the net. We really better be good defensively and I think it's important too that we have a good start and we play the same way and have the same start as last game."

WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik will not play against the Colorado Avalanche at Verizon Center on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CSN-DC, ALT).

Orpik sustained a lower-body injury Nov. 12 against the Philadelphia Flyers and has missed five consecutive games, but coach Barry Trotz cautions that Orpik’s ailment is not serious.

“Once he gets 100 percent, then we’ll give him a couple practices and then we can expect him to be in the lineup after that point,” Trotz said. “It’s sort of how we’re looking at it. It’s a long haul, and he’s an important piece, so we’re just going to get him 100 percent. As I’ve said, it’s not anything that’s a serious injury. It just takes some time for what he has.”

WASHINGTON -- The Dallas Stars boast the NHL's best road record so far this season and are confident they can continue that success Thursday against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center (7 p.m. ET; FS-SW, CSN-DC) while trying to become the latest opponent to deny Alex Ovechkin a personal record.

Ovechkin has been held scoreless for four games dating back to Nov. 7, when he tied Sergei Fedorov's record of 483 goals, the most by a Russian-born player.

"We have to make sure that there's a second wave of defense for him," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "It isn't just solely one-on-one all the time. He's going to make some great plays, great individual plays. We need that added help, because physically he can dominate."

The Stars have won eight of their past nine road games and have a four-game winning streak on the road. They have won 16 of 19 road games dating back to last season.