GAMEDAY REPORT: Lineup changes for Capitals in MUST WIN game 3

Facing a 3-0 series deficit to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Washington Capitals are in must win territory tonight at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Should they lose, their road to the Stanley Cup will get a lot more difficult.  

With that in mind, head coach Barry Trotz looks like he’ll have at least one more card in his deck for tonight’s game. Defenseman Karl Alzner took to the ice with his team this morning and has been deemed a game-time decision for tonight’s pivotal contest. Alzner has remained out of the lineup since suffering an injury in his team’s first round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Caps blue liner Nate Schmidt has performed admirably in his place, so there’s a chance that Trotz may employ a seven man defence corps moving forward.

The advantage of such a system is that Trotz can afford Alzner the opportunity to break into the action with limited minutes, perhaps splitting time with veteran Brooks Orpik. Of course, Trotz could elect to keep Alzner on the shelf indefinitely, as well.

One thing’s for sure, no matter who’s in the lineup for the Capitals tonight, they’ll have to bring a better effort if they want to avoid going down 3-0 against a seemingly unstoppable Penguins squad.