ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates said Thursday following his team's morning skate that he would use the same lineup against the Calgary Flames (7 p.m. ET, TSN) that he dressed for the team's season-opening 6-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Oates said he felt no need to change things, "Because it [Tuesday] was a winnable game. One game is not a fair evaluation, so give the guys another chance."
After he made those comments, he was forced to make one change. To make room on the roster for defenseman Alexander Urbom, who was claimed off waivers from the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, fourth-line center Michael Latta was sent to Hershey of the American Hockey League. That likely means Jay Beagle will make his season debut, skating on the fourth line between Martin Erat and Tom Wilson.
For the Flames, Karri Ramo is expected to make the start in goal; it would be his first since April 9, 2009, when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and lost 4-2 -- to the Capitals.
Here are the lineups each team likely will use Thursday:
CAPITALS
Marcus Johansson - Nicklas Backstrom - Alex Ovechkin
Brooks Laich - Mikhail Grabovski - Troy Brouwer
Jason Chimera - Eric Fehr - Joel Ward
Martin Erat - Jay Beagle - Tom Wilson
Scratched: Aaron Volpatti, Alexander Urbom, Steve Oleksy
FLAMES
Curtis Glencross - Matt Stajan - Lee Stempniak
TJ Galiardi - Mikael Backlund - Jiri Hudler
Sven Baertschi - Sean Monahan - David Jones
Lance Bouma - Ben Street - Brian McGrattan
Injured: Mike Cammalleri (hand), Christopher Breen (shoulder)
Scratched: Tim Jackman, Joe Colborne, Derek Smith