Lapierre was selected No.22 overall in the 2020 draft and cracked the Capitals lineup out of training camp with Nicklas Backstrom (hip) sidelined. Lapierre had eight goals and 23 assists (31 points) in 21 QMJHL goals last season and picked up five assists in four preseason games. Lapierre will start his NHL career as the Capitals third-line centre, with T.J. Oshie and Conor Sheary on his wings.
Ovechkin has been dealing with a minor lower-body injury but was on the ice for Wednesday’s morning skate and it appears he will be available for the Capitals’ season opener. However, Ovechkin told reporters he did not know if he was playing tonight, so consider him a game-time decision.
Ovechkin's cap-hit doesn't change much, going from $9.539M AAV to $9.5M for the next five seasons. Ovechkin currently sits sixth on the all-time goal-scoring list, 164 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for first. A five-year contract will take Ovechkin to 40-years-old and he will need to average 32.8 goals per season to reach Gretzky's mark. He has averaged 52 goals per 82 games over the last three seasons.
Smallman was a fifth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2015 but has bounced around between the AHL and ECHL since. In 2021, he had two assists in six AHL games and 12 points (6G / 6A) in eight ECHL games. He will not be a factor in the NHL in 2021-22.
Sandin was a surprise scratch from the lineup in Game 4 but will draw right back into the lineup for Game 5. Sandin, who will replace Travis Dermott, has one goal on four shots while averaging 13:55 TOI through his first three games of the series.
Borgström was a first-round pick (No.23 overall) in 2016 and was traded to Chicago in the deal that sent Lucas Wallmark and Lucas Carlsson to the Panthers. Borgström spent the 2021 season in Finland, where he had 11 goals and 10 assists (21 points) in 30 games. In 58 career NHL games with Florida, the 23-year-old has tallied nine goals and 10 assists (19 points).
Carlson will miss his second straight game on Tuesday. Carlson was on the ice for Monday's practice but will be held out most likely as more of a precaution with nothing to be gained from Tuesday's game.
