tom wilson is in the Washington Capitals’ projected lineup for Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto, with the visitors still fighting to stay in the playoff race. The matchup comes with Washington sitting sixth in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the final divisional playoff spot, and three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. With four games left in the regular season, the Capitals are trying to turn recent confidence into points, and tom wilson remains part of that push.
Capitals line up with tom wilson on the second line
The projected forward group places Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier on the top line, followed by Aliaksei Protas, Ilya Protas and Tom Wilson on the second unit. Connor McMichael, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Ryan Leonard are next, while Brandon Duhaime, Justin Sourdif and Ivan Miroshnichenko round out the four lines.
Ilya Protas is set to make his NHL debut at center on a line with his older brother, Aliaksei Protas. The Capitals also have Hendrix Lapierre, Ethen Frank, David Kampf, Declan Chisholm, Dylan McIlrath and Timothy Liljegren listed as scratched.
Toronto’s projected group brings injury questions
For Toronto, the projected lineup shows Easton Cowan, John Tavares and William Nylander on the top line, with Matias Maccelli, Max Domi and Matthew Knies behind them. Dakota Joshua, Bo Groulx and Nicholas Robertson are listed on the third line, and Steven Lorentz, Jacob Quillan and Calle Jarnkrok form the fourth.
Michael Pezzetta and Troy Stecher are scratched, while Auston Matthews is out with an MCL injury and Chris Tanev is sidelined with a groin injury. OEL will return after missing Saturday’s 7-6 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings because of a middle-body injury.
Tom Wilson and the Capitals’ playoff chase
Washington enters the night with points in seven of its past 10 games and some momentum after Pierre-Luc Dubois returned from a 55-game absence in early February. The group’s belief has stayed intact even after Sunday’s 8-1 loss to the New York Rangers, which Strome said was a setback but not a reason to abandon the team’s outlook.
Dylan Strome said the Capitals still believe four more wins could be enough to get them back into the postseason for a third straight year. He also pointed to the difficulty of the season’s trade deadline, saying the room had to adjust after major departures and that players have stepped up down the stretch.
What tom wilson’s role means as the clock runs down
Tom Wilson’s place in the projected lineup matters because Washington is trying to balance urgency with structure while playing one of the league’s more familiar opponents. The Capitals opened the season with high expectations, faded through December and January, and now arrive in Toronto needing results more than style.
Strome’s comments make the stakes plain: Washington does not have much margin for error, and every game now carries playoff weight. If the Capitals are going to make up ground in the final stretch, tom wilson and the rest of the lineup will have to turn a solid projection into points quickly.
