Milano appeared in four straight games, but will be scratched on Saturday with Ethen Frank returning to the lineup in Tampa. Milano has scored one goal with no assists in eight games this season.

Smallman did not get into a game during his time with the Capitals. He returns to the AHL, where he has two goals and one assist in six games this season.

Frank missed the last four games with an upper-body injury he suffered in Dallas on October 28th. Frank, who has just one assist in three games, will replace Sonny Milano in the Capitals' bottom-6.

Lindgren has been significantly outplayed by counterpart Logan Thompson early in the 2025-26 season, but will take the crease for the fifth time on Thursday on the tail end of a back-to-back. The 31-year-old Lindgren has a 1-2-1 record, posting a 3.46 GAA and .880 SV% in four games. He recorded an impressive 35-save shutout in his first game of the season, but has allowed four goals on 82 shots (.829 SV%) in three games since (0-2-1).

Sandin was limited to only 15:01 time-on-ice in an October 21st contest and has not played since. The 25-year-old Sandin is averaging 19:24 time-on-ice and has two points (0G / 2A) through seven games this season. He is expected to play on defensive pair with Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Lindgren has been significantly outplayed by counterpart Logan Thompson early in the 2025-26 season, but will likely start for the fifth time on Thursday on the tail end of a back-to-back. The 31-year-old Lindgren has a 1-2-1 record, posting a 3.46 GAA and .880 SV% in four games. He recorded an impressive 35-save shutout in his first game of the season, but has allowed four goals on 82 shots (.829 SV%) in three games since (0-2-1).

Despite only allowing three goals combined in his last two outings, saving 38 of 41 shots (.927 SV%), Thompson has lost two straight and hopes to return to the win column on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. The 28-year-old Thompson has been excellent between the pipes for the Capitals early in 2025-26, posting an outstanding 1.51 GAA and .935 SV% in eight games (5-3-0). The Capitals enter Wednesday's contest as -144 home favorites against a Blues team that has a disappointing 4-7-2 record.

Sandin was limited to only 15:01 time-on-ice in an October 21st contest and has not played since. The 25-year-old Sandin is averaging 19:24 time-on-ice and has two points (0G / 2A) through seven games this season.

Dubois missed five games earlier this season due to a lower-body injury. He returned and suited up for three games before exiting the third contest due to a lower-body injury, and will not be sidelined indefinitely. It's unclear if the two injuries are related. The 27-year-old Dubois had a career-high 66 points (20G / 46A) in 82 games in 2024-25, but has started this season with zero points in six games.

Dubois suffered the injury toward the end of the first period of Friday's game and was unable to return. It's unfortunate timing for the Capitals, who are already without centre Dylan Strome (lower-body). We should get an update on Dubois' status ahead of Washington's game in Buffalo on Saturday.

Strome did not play in Washington's most recent game, a 1-0 loss on Tuesday to the Dallas Stars, but was a game-time decision for Friday's game against the New York Islanders. Strome is off to another hot start this season, with 10 points (2G / 8A) in nine games.