The Detroit Red Wings take on the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena today. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.
RED WINGS (19-13-3) at CAPITALS (19-11-4)
12:30 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MNMT, NHLN, SNP, SNO, SNE
Red Wings projected lineup
Emmitt Finnie — Dylan Larkin — Lucas Raymond
John Leonard — Andrew Copp — Alex DeBrincat
Elmer Soderblom — Marco Kasper — Nate Danielson
Michael Rasmussen — J.T. Compher — James van Riemsdyk
Simon Edvinsson — Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot — Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Jacob Bernard-Docker — Albert Johansson
John Gibson
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Travis Hamonic
Injured: Mason Appleton (lower body), Patrick Kane (upper body)
Status report
Seider (maintenance day) did not practice on Friday but is expected to play.
Latest for THW:
- NHL Morning Recap – December 18, 2025
- Vejmelka, Keller Lead Mammoth to 4-1 Victory Over the Red Wings
- Structure, Not Luck, Has the Red Wings Atop the Atlantic
Capitals projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Anthony Beauvillier
Aliaksei Protas — Justin Sourdif — Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael — Hendrix Lapierre — Ethen Frank
Brandon Duhaime — Nic Dowd — Sonny Milano
Martin Fehervary — John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun — Matt Roy
Rasmus Sandin — Trevor van Riemsdyk
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Dylan McIlrath, Declan Chisholm, Ivan Miroshnichenko
Injured: Ryan Leonard (shoulder, facial injuries), Pierre-Luc Dubois (lower body)
Status report
Ryan Leonard practiced Friday wearing a regular jersey, but Capitals coach coach Spencer Carbery was noncommittal on a timeline for the forward’s return. … LaPierre is expected to return after missing a 4-0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday because of an illness. … Miroshnichenko, a forward, was recalled from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and forward Bogdan Trineyev was loaned to Hershey.
Latest for THW:
- Capitals’ Chychrun Scores Twice in 4-0 Win Over Maple Leafs
- Projected Lineups for Maple Leafs vs Capitals – 12/18/25
- Capitals Land Rasmus Andersson in Suggested Trade With Flames
