For the Capitals, the preseason starts the old-fashioned way: in Boston, against a familiar Eastern Conference opponent, with a roster that already gives away plenty about where the real battles are.
Washington opens exhibition play Sunday afternoon at TD Garden against the Bruins, the first of just four preseason games for each team. The same clubs will meet again Friday at Capital One Arena, giving the Caps a quick two-game look at one of the East’s standard preseason tuneups.
The timing is different this year, and so is the camp. Washington is only three days into a shortened 13-day training camp, but the club is already close to a decision point in several spots. With opening night looming and the lineup picture mostly clear, the exhibition schedule is really about sorting out the final roster jobs - the three spots beyond the likely opening-night group.
That makes Sunday’s lineup worth watching. Washington is bringing a representative group to Boston, including six of its likely top 12 forwards and four of its top six defensemen. The roster battles are spread across the ice, and some of the players involved are expected to get a long look right away.
Among the forwards traveling to Boston are Jonny Brodzinski, Josh Dunne, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Bogdan Trineyev, all of whom are in the mix for roster spots. On defense, Dylan McIlrath and Justin Holl are part of the group headed into the opener, and both are also fighting for those final openings.
Brodzinski, 33, and Miroshnichenko, 22, have already shown early chemistry in camp. Through the first three days, they’ve skated on a line with Ethen Frank, and the trio has looked sharp together.
Carbery had strong words for Miroshnichenko after Friday’s practice.
“He caught my eye multiple times today,” the coach began. “I thought he had a real good day today in the practice.
He is knocking on the door and he’s right there, and this is an important camp, it’s important exhibition games for him to play in to earn a spot. And not only to earn a spot, but I think he wants more than that, which, good on him.
“He wants a role; he wants an opportunity to be in the lineup every night. And I will say that’s challenging with some of the [offseason] additions that we’ve made. He is going to have to jump over a few established NHL players to be in the lineup on opening night or needs a few dominoes to fall his way injury-wise.
“But I’ve liked his attitude. He’s come in, he’s working his butt off in both practices. Hopefully, he can continue to build off that, have some good exhibition games, and continue to show well.”
Washington’s roster math remains unsettled beyond the obvious names. The club has not locked in whether it will carry 14 forwards and seven defensemen or go with 13 forwards and eight defensemen, as it has most recently. There’s also at least a chance the Capitals could keep three goaltenders when the roster is submitted a week from Monday.
“I think it would have to depend a little bit on health and injuries in camp,” says Caps senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick. “But I wouldn’t rule that out as a possibility.
The forward group in camp is deep. Washington has 29 forwards on the roster, 17 of whom played in the NHL last season.
That group also includes Andrew Cristall, who put up 60 points last season - 20 goals and 40 assists - as a 20-year-old rookie with AHL Hershey. Cristall has also stood out in each of the last two Capitals training camps.
On the blue line, the Caps have eight players who appeared in NHL games last season. They also have three goaltenders who won NHL games last season. That kind of depth makes the decisions harder, especially with several of those players needing waivers to be sent down to Hershey.
There’s another name to watch Sunday: Lynden Lakovic. The Capitals’ first-round pick in 2025, taken 27th overall, is expected to play in Boston and is turning pro this season.
He turns 20 in December and missed much of last year after an upper-body injury in November limited him to 22 games with WHL Moose Jaw. Before season-ending surgery, he had 18 goals and 29 points.
Patrick said Lakovic has already made a solid impression.
“Lakovic, in development camp and rookie camp and even [Thursday’s opening day of camp] has looked really good,” says Patrick. “It’s going to be fun to see how this camp progresses for him when he gets into some competition here in some exhibition games.
“These are going to be better [exhibition] games than what we’re used to, so it will be good to see him at that level.”
Sunday also starts a busy stretch for Washington. The Bruins game is the front end of back-to-back preseason contests for the Caps, who head to Giant Center in Hershey on Monday night to face the Flyers with a different group.
Boston, meanwhile, begins a four-game run in six nights. The Bruins host Philadelphia on Tuesday, then play at Philly on Thursday before facing the Capitals again Friday in Washington.
The Bruins also get their regular season underway earlier than the Caps. Boston opens Sept. 29 at home against the Rangers, while Washington starts the regular season on Oct. 2 in Carolina.
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