It would appear that Darcy Kuemper is not fully confident that he will play on Thursday after leaving practice early due to an injury a day before as Hunter Shephard has been recalled from Hershey (AHL). The 28-year-old has appeared in four games this season with Washington and has a 2-1-1 record with a 3.19 GAA and .894 SV%.

With Darcy Kuemper's status for Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins uncertain due to an illness, the Capitals have recalled Shepard from the Hershey Bears (AHL). Hunter played reasonably in a four-game stint with the Capitals earlier this season but has spent most of his time in the AHL, posting a 2.00 GAA and .919 SV% in 26 games (21-3-2) with the Bears.

With the immanent return to Charlie Lindgren (lower body), Hunter Shepard has been returned to the Hershey Bears (AHL) on Tuesday. The 28-year-old American netminder made his NHL debut this season and has appeared in four games with the Capitals, posting a 2-2-0, 3.19 GAA and .894 SV%.

With Charlie Lindgren still unavailable due to an upper-body injury, it will be Hunter Shepard who gets the calls for the tail-end of Washington's back-to-back on Wednesday. Though it's just the fourth start of the season for the 28-year-old rookie, Shepard has performed well when called upon this season. He owns a .926 SV% and a 2.27 GAA to go along with his 2-0-1 record on the season. His last start came on Saturday where he stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced before eventually falling to the Predators 3-2 in a shootout. Shepard will have his hands full tonight with the Capitals being +140 home underdogs to Jack Hughes and the Devils.

With Charlie Lindgren (illness) fully returning to Capitals' activities Monday Hunter Shepard has been loaned by to the Hershey Bears (AHL). The 28-year-old netminder returns to Hershey (AHL) where he was impressively 9-1-0 before his call up but unimpressively had a .898 SV% and 2.66 GAA in 10 games played.

With Darcy Kumeper (undisclosed) returning to the Capitals' lineup Tuesday, Hunter Shepard finds himself the odd-man out and has been reassigned to Hershey (AHL). The 28-year-old goaltender performed incredibly well during his short showing with Washington, with his 2-0-0 record, .915 SV% and 2.50 GAA.

28-year-old Hunter Shepard played his first career NHL game earlier this season, saving 18 of 22 shots in a 6-4 win over the New Jersey Devils. It is unclear if his call-up is due to a potential injury for Darcy Kuemper or Charlie Lindgren, but if either of them is unable to dress for the Capitals, expect Shepard to serve as the teams' backup goalie.

Shepard recently made his NHL debut with the Capitals, saving 18 of 22 shots in a 6-4 win over the New Jersey Devils. With Charlie Lindgren set to return from an upper-body injury, Shepard is being returned to the Bears (AHL), where he had a 2.88 GAA and .885 SV% in two games this season (2-0-0).

Shepard is a 27-year-old career AHLer, who has gone 2-0-0 while allowing six goals on 52 shots (.885 SV%) in his first two starts with Hershey this season. Shepard impressed in a 33-game stint with the Bears last season, posting a .916 SV% and a 2.18 GAA to go along with a 20-8-5 record. He draws a difficult matchup in his NHL debut with the Capitals being +205 road underdogs in New Jersey.

Shepard is a 27-year-old career AHLer, who has gone 2-0-0 while allowing six goals on 52 shots (.885 SV%) in his first two starts with Hershey this season. He replaces Clay Stevenson on the Capitals' roster and figures to serve as Darcy Kuemper's backup vs. the Maple Leafs.

Shepard was 20-8-5 with a .916 SV% and 2.18 GAA with the Hershey Bears (AHL) and has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension worth $775,000. The 27-year-old goaltender has yet to make an NHL appearance in his career after being signed as an undrafted free-agent out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA).

Shepard has gone 6-0-2 with a 1.83 GAA and .932 SV% in eight games with Hershey (AHL) this season. With Darcy Kuemper dealing with an upper-body injury, Shepard is expected to serve as Charlie Lindgren's backup on Monday.