Sabres Just Got A Tougher Test From Washington Tonight

Key players Dubois and Sourdif set to rejoin the Capitals' lineup, aiming to boost the team's performance against the Sabres.

The Capitals are getting a pair of forwards back in the lineup Saturday night.

Washington head coach Spencer Carbery told the media that Pierre-Luc Dubois and Justin Sourdif are both expected to return when the Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres.

Dubois has been out longer, sitting since Washington’s 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Oct. 9. The veteran center was placed on injured reserve last weekend to open a roster spot, and the Capitals felt his absence, going 2-3-0 over the five games he missed.

It’s been a strong opening stretch for Dubois after an injury-hit 2025-26 season in which he managed 19 points in 29 games. Through four games this year, the 28-year-old has a goal and four points with a plus-4 rating while averaging 17:06 of ice time. He’s part of a Capitals team that’s trying to push toward first place in the Metropolitan Division and emerge as the top team in the Eastern Conference.

Sourdif’s absence was much shorter. The 24-year-old missed the last two games because of illness, watching Washington beat the New Jersey Devils last Saturday before dropping a game to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

Before that, Sourdif had played in each of Washington’s first seven games. He scored his lone goal so far on Oct. 3 in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and enters Saturday with a minus-2 rating and an average of 13:24 per game.

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