Capitals at Senators

CAPITALS (17-13-4) at SENATORS (14-16-2)

Capitals projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin -- Dylan Strome -- Conor Sheary
Sonny Milano -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- Anthony Mantha
Marcus Johansson -- Lars Eller -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Aliaksei Protas -- Nic Dowd -- Garnet Hathaway
Erik Gustafsson -- John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov -- Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin -- Trevor van Riemsdyk
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Joe Snively
Injured: Nicklas Backstrom (hip), T.J. Oshie (upper body), Tom Wilson (ACL), Connor Brown (ACL), Carl Hagelin (hip), Beck Malenstyn (upper body), Martin Fehervary (upper body), Alexander Alexeyev (upper body)
Senators projected lineup
Brady Tkachuk --
Tim Stutzle
-- Claude Giroux
Alex DeBrincat -- Shane Pinto -- Drake Batherson
Tyler Motte -- Mark Kastelic -- Austin Watson
Dylan Gambrell -- Rourke Chartier -- Parker Kelly
Thomas Chabot -- Nikita Zaitsev
Jake Sanderson -- Travis Hamonic
Dillon Heatherington -- Nick Holden
Cam Talbot
Anton Forsberg
Scratched: Derick Brassard
Injured: Josh Norris (shoulder), Artem Zub (jaw), Mathieu Joseph (lower body), Jacob Bernard-Docker (high ankle sprain), Erik Brannstrom (lower body)
Status report
The Capitals did not hold a morning skate Thursday. … Kuemper could make his first start since sustaining an upper-body injury Dec. 3; he has missed eight games. … Stutzle, who has missed four games with a shoulder injury, will be a game-time decision. … Zub, who hasn't played since Dec. 2, took part in the morning skate in a non-contact jersey and face shield; the defenseman said said he hopes to return between Christmas and early January. … Brannstrom, a defenseman who left a 5-1 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, is expected to miss one game, Senators coach D.J. Smith said. … Bernard-Docker, a defenseman who was placed on injured reserve Nov. 20, skated in a regular jersey.