With the Capitals missing a key pair of their defensemen, Dylan McIlrath will make his second career playoff appearance as he draws into Washington's lineup on Sunday. The 32-year-old bruising veteran only appeared in three games for Washington during the regular season and had an assist, one SOG and five PIMs.
With Nick Jensen still unable to recover from his upper-body injury, Vincent Iorio will make his playoff debut on Sunday vs. New York. The 21-year-old rookie defenseman appeared in six games for the Capitals this season and failed to pick up a point while collecting six SOG and a +1 plus/minus.
Jensen has been out since April 13th due to a scary upper-body injury and will miss game 1 as he nears his return. The 33-year-old shut-down defensemen scored only one goal in 2023-24, with 14 points, 71 SOG, 10 PIMs and a -9 plus/minus in 78 games played.
Shesterkin was 36-17-2 with a 2.58 GAA, .912 SV% and four shutouts this season. He was much better in the second-half of the season, winning. 17 of his final 23 games (17-5-1) with a .929 SV% and four shutouts. Shesterkin was 2-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .926 SV% in three games against the Capitals this season.
Mantha missed the final two games of the regular season but could play in game 1 in Dallas. Mantha, who tallied 10 points (3G / 7A) in 18 games after being traded to Vegas, is expected to skate on the third line with Willam Karlsson.
Kane revealed on Sunday that he's been dealing with a sports hernia this season and they decided it was best to rest him for the final three games of the regular season. Kane skated on the fourth line in Sunday's practice, so expect him to play a minimal role to begin the series vs. Los Angeles.
Sandin has been out since April 7th due to an upper-body injury but is expected to return on Sunday for Game 1 vs. New York. The 24-year-old appeared in a career-high 68 games with Washington in 2023-24, and had three goals, 23 points, 79 SOG, 24 PIMs and a -13 plus/minus.
Vasilevskiy was a workhorse after making his season debut on November 24th. It was statistically the worst season of his career, as his 2.90 GAA and .900 SV% were the worst marks of his first 10 seasons. Despite the underwhelming splits, Vasilevskiy still won 30 of 52 games, making it the seventh straight season he's won 30-plus games. He struggled in the postseason last year but is 65-42 with a 2.37 GAA and .921 in 110 career playoff appearances.
Pageau missed game 1 due to a lower-body injury that he suffered in the Islanders' season finale vs. the Penguins. If Pageau is available for game 2, expect him to centre the third line, bumping Kyle MacLean back to the fourth line and taking Simon Holmstrom out of the lineup.
Sergachev has been out since February 7th due to a lower-body injury and has unfortunately been ruled out for the remainder of the first round. The 25-year-old appeared in only 34 games this season and had two goals, 19 points, 53 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -16 plus/minus.
Glendening is expected to dress on line four for Game 1 but is still considered a game-time decision on Sunday. The 34-year-old veteran reached double-digit goals (10) for the first time since 2018-19 this season.
Motte appeared in 69 games for the Lightning during the 2023-24 regular season and had six goals and nine points but will be a game-time decision for Game 1 on Sunday. Motte appears good to go but will make a final choice in warmups before committing to his 40th career playoff game.
Lomberg took a seat in the press box for Florida's final game of the season but will return to the lineup as a physical presence for Game 1 vs. Tampa Bay. The 29-year-old fourth-liner enjoyed a strong fourth season in Florida with five goals, seven points, 68 SOG, and 80 PIMs in 75 games played while averaging only 9:32 TOI/GP.
