Pietrangelo has missed Vegas' previous two games with an illness but appears set to return for Game 2 vs. Edmonton. Vegas would gladly welcome back its top defender with open arms after he put up a goal and three points in six games played in the Golden Knights' opening series.
Roslovic will draw back into Carolina's lineup after serving as a healthy scratch in their last three games. He'll fill in for Mark Jankowski (undisclosed).
Gibson was a late addition to the Capitals lineup in place of Charlie Lindgren, who is unavailable due to personal family reasons. Gibson is yet to appear in an NHL game and split time between South Carolina (ECHL) and Hershey (AHL) this season.
Jankowski left Game 1 on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury after just 6:17 TOI and was a game-time decision for Game 2 in Washington on Tuesday. The 30-year-old depth center has been enjoying his time in Carolina since being acquired at the trade deadline, with eight goals and an assist in 22 games between the regular season and the playoffs.
Thompson nearly stole Game 1 for the Capitals, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced in the 2-1 overtime loss. After a breakout season in Washington, Thompson has arguably been the standout goaltender of the 2025 NHL Playoffs, posting a 4-2-0 record, a .926 SV%, and a 2.17 GAA. He'll need to be at his very best again on Thursday if he wants to guide his team to a bounce back victory in Game 2, as the Capitals enter action at +135 on the money line.
After posting a .936 SV% in Carolina's opening round win, Frederik Andersen introduced himself to Washington with a 13-save (.929 SV%) win over the Capitals in Game 1. The 35-year-old veteran struggled through injuries and setbacks during the regular season, which led to him posting an .899 SV% and 2.50 GAA in 22 appearances, but has bounced back nicely in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He will look to take a 2-0 series lead as Carolina heads to Washington for Game 2 on Thursday, who is averaging 3.16 GAA through their six playoff games thus far.
Lindgren was projected to serve as the backup on Thursday, but was a late scratch due to personal family reasons. Mitchell Gibson will dress and back up Logan Thompson in his place.
Lagare spent the majority of the 2024-25 season with Utica (AHL), earning himself a one-year, two-way contract after scoring 17 goals and 25 points in 69 games played. The 24-year-old winger also made his NHL debut in 2024-25, but failed to pick up a point in any of the three games he appeared in.
Morrissey was a game-time decision for Game 1 but was unable to suit up and will return to a similar "up in the air" status ahead of Game 2 vs. Dallas on Friday. The 30-year-old defender went down early in Game 7 of Winnipeg's opening round vs. St. Louis and has been a massive loss without his presence in the lineup. His status is expected to be updated in Winnipeg's warm up on Friday night.
Pietrangelo has missed Vegas' previous two games with an illness but will be a game-time decision ahead of Game 2 vs. Edmonton after participating in the morning skate on Thursday. Vegas would gladly welcome back its top defender with open arms after he put up a goal and three points in six games played in the Golden Knights' opening series.
Dorofeyev has missed Vegas' previous three games due to an undisclosed injury and will remain out for Game 2 despite taking part in the morning skate on Thursday. The 24-year-old's absence makes a big loss as he usually occupies Vegas' top power-play unit. In five playoff games before his injury, he had a goal, two points and 18 SOG.
Hameenaho was New Jersey's 2023 2nd-round pick (58th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils on Thursday. The 20-year-old Finnish right-winger spent 2024-25 with Assat of Liiga and had 20 goals, 51 points, and 28 PIMs in 58 games played.
After posting a .936 SV% in Carolina's opening round win, Frederik Andersen introduced himself to Washington with a 13-save (.929 SV%) win over the Capitals in Game 1. The 35-year-old veteran struggled through injuries and setbacks during the regular season, which led to him posting an .899 SV% and 2.50 GAA in 22 appearances, but has bounced back nicely in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He will look to take a 2-0 series lead as Carolina heads to Washington for Game 2 on Thursday, who is averaging 3.16 GAA through their six playoff games thus far.
Pickard will bring his five-game winning streak to Vegas as he takes the crease for a sixth straight start on Thursday for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 33-year-old veteran netminder reached career highs in wins (22) during the regular season and has given Edmonton new life in the playoffs with his 5-0-0 record, 2.76 GAA and .891 SV%. He will head to Vegas on Thursday to take on the Golden Knights, who have been averaging 3.3 goals per game throughout seven games in the playoffs.
Kovacvic's first season in New Jersey will end in an unfortunate but memorable fashion after he underwent successful knee surgery on Wednesday. He is not expected to be fully recovered by the time the 2025-26 training camp rolls around. The 27-year-old stay-at-home defenseman had a goal, 17 points and a +10 plus/minus through 81 games played in 2024-25.
Leonard only has one assist through six playoff games this offseason and is expected to be a healthy scratch for Taylor Raddysh ahead of Game 2 on Thursday. The 20-year-old right-winger has 15 total NHL games under his belt and has a goal and an assist during that span.
Raddysh was a healthy scratch for Washington's previous three games but is expected to draw back into the Capitals' lineup for Game 2 on Thursday. The 27-year-old winger has only produced one assist in four playoff games this year after collecting 27 points in 80 games played during the regular season.
Stolarz was unable to play in Toronto's Game 2 victory over Florida due to a concussion and announced Thursday that he will not initially travel for Game 3, making him doubtful for Friday. The 31-year-old had won four of his first seven starts in the playoffs (left one for injury) and is hopeful to return before the end of the series. Joseph Woll will continue to hold down the fort in his absence.
Robertson has been out since the last game of the season on April 16th due to a lower-body injury but was a full participant in practice on Tuesday and appears set to return for Game 1 on Wednesday. The 25-year-old is expected to draw back into Dallas' third line and will hope to build off a successful regular season campaign, which saw him produce 35 goals and 80 points in 82 games played.
