The Washington Capitals are 2-1-0 on the year, and prepare to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. It is a fixture with two of the top 11 teams in the NHL Power Rankings. Still, the Caps will be without one of their forwards, as Pierre-Luc Dubois has been ruled out with an injury.
Dubois will not play against the Lightning, according to head coach Spencer Carbery. He was not present at the morning skate after being injured in the game against the New York Rangers on Sunday. It is a lower-body injury that is keeping Dubois out of the lineup.
The Canadian forward was the third overall pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2016 NHL Draft. He was traded during the 2020-21 season to the Winnipeg Jets. The forward would be traded again to the Los Angeles Kings ahead of the 2023-24 season, but after just one year, was sent to the Capitals in the summer of 2024.
He was great for the Caps in 2024-25, finding the back of the net 20 times while adding 46 assists. He currently does not have a point this season, primarily playing on the second line and on a powerplay unit.
The Washington Capitals line-up without Dubois
With Dubois out of the lineup, expectations are that Connor McMichael will take his spot as the second-line center. McMichael is also without a point this year and has a plus-1 plus/minus rating through three games currently.
This also changed other line combinations. While the Capitals do not give line combinations in the morning skate, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, he did make the connection that Anthony Beauvillier will start on the top line with Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin.
Meanwhile, Sonny Milano worked on the first powerplay unit with the absence of Dubois.
The 2-1-0 Capitals take the ice on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning without Dubois. He is considered day-to-day and could be back for their action against the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
