WASHINGTON — Jakub Dobeš will be the starting goaltender and defenseman Alexandre Carrier is a game-time decision for the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of their first-round series with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
The Capitals lead the series 3-1 and have a chance to eliminate the Canadiens with a win.
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said starting goaltender Sam Montembeault, who left the game in the second period of Game 3 and did not play Game 4, did not make the trip to Washington.
Carrier left Game 4 in the third period after taking a massive hit from Capitals forward Tom Wilson. He is in Washington with the team.
“We have a couple of guys who are game-time decisions,” St. Louis said.
St. Louis would not specify who else is a game-time decision, though forwards Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson and defenseman David Savard missed practice Tuesday.
If Carrier can’t play, Jayden Struble would draw into the lineup after being scratched for Games 3 and 4 in Montreal. Struble played both games to open the series in Washington.
Forward Patrik Laine, who skated with the team in Montreal on Tuesday, is not an option for Game 5, St. Louis said.
Protas could return
Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas, out since a skate cut his foot on April 4, is once again a game-time decision, coach Spencer Carbery said, but there were signs at Washington’s morning skate Wednesday that suggest that he’s increasingly likely to play.
The main one: Protas left the ice with Washington’s regular lineup, while fourth-line winger Taylor Raddysh stuck around to get extra work with the other regular healthy scratches.
“We’ll talk to the medical staff,” Carbery said. “He had a good day yesterday (and) today he was full-go.”
Protas is a 30-goal scorer, a versatile top-six option, one of Washington’s most reliable five-on-five players and a top penalty killer. If he indeed rejoins the lineup at Raddysh’s expense, Anthony Beauvillier (currently playing right wing on a line with Dylan Strome) and Ryan Leonard (right wing on a line Lars Eller and Andrew Mangiapane) are the players most likely to drop down to Raddyshs’s fourth-line spot with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime. Beauvillier has been particularly good with Ovechkin and Strome, so Carbery has an interesting decision to make — whether it’s Wednesday night or down the line.
“If he’s back in tonight, it’s obviously a big boost,” Tom Wilson said. “And he’s a big-game type of player. He makes great plays with the puck, smart player, big frame, moves well. So we’ll be excited to have him back if he gets back out there.”
(Photo of Alexandre Carrier: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)