Capitals' John Carlson: Expected to return for Game 1
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Carlson (rest) is slated to play in Game 1 of Washington's first-round series against Montreal on Monday, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports Saturday.
Carlson hasn't been in the lineup since last Saturday, so he should be well-rested for the beginning of the postseason. He finished the regular season with five goals, 51 points, 49 hits and 131 blocks across 79 outings. Based on Saturday's practice, Carlson could skate on the top pairing alongside Jakob Chychrun versus the Canadiens in Game 1.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Still out Thursday
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Carlson (rest) won't play Thursday versus the Penguins, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports.
The Capitals will play with 13 forwards and five defensemen for their regular-season finale. Carlson has rested the last three games, and while there's no glaring concern about the 35-year-old's status, that much rest will at least raise some eyebrows. It's unclear whether his rest will impact his status for Game 1 versus the Canadiens on Monday.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Not playing again Tuesday
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Carlson (rest) won't be in the lineup against the Islanders on Tuesday, per Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.
Carlson will miss his second straight game for maintenance purposes, and his availability for Thursday's regular-season finale versus Pittsburgh is unclear. He has compiled five goals, 51 points, 167 shots on net and 131 blocked shots through 79 appearances this season.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Game-time call Tuesday
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Carlson (rest) will be a game-time decision for Tuesday's divisional matchup against the Islanders, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.
Carlson's status for Tuesday's game is up in the air after he was also given a rest day Sunday against the Blue Jackets. Dylan McIlrath will continue to operate in a third-pairing role if Carlson doesn't suit up against the Islanders. Carlson has generated five goals, 51 points and a plus-17 rating across 79 appearances in 2024-25.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Sitting out Sunday
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Carlson (rest) won't play against Columbus on Sunday, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.
Carlson will skip the second half of Washington's back-to-back set versus the Blue Jackets for maintenance. He has accounted for five goals, 51 points, 167 shots on net and 131 blocked shots through 79 appearances this season. Carlson will probably play Tuesday versus the Islanders or Thursday against the Penguins before the beginning of the playoffs. Dylan McIlrath will replace Carlson in Sunday's lineup.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Distributes three helpers
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Carlson logged three assists, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 5-3 win over the Blackhawks.
It was fitting that Carlson had a hand in both of Alex Ovechkin's goals in this game, which saw Ovechkin pull even with Wayne Gretzky atop the all-time goals leaderboard. Carlson has the second-most assists (158) on goals by Ovechkin, trailing only Nicklas Backstrom's (hip) 279. This was Carlson's first multi-point game since March 9 versus the Kraken, and he's now at 50 points (five goals, 45 assists), 164 shots on net, 127 blocked shots and a plus-22 rating across 76 appearances in 2024-25. He's on track to pass the 52-point campaign he put together last season.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Nets goal Saturday
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Carlson scored a goal and blocked five shots in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Panthers.
Carlson netted the second goal of the game for the Capitals off feeds from Connor McMichael and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 35-year-old blueliner is up to five goals, 46 points, 144 shots on net and 118 blocks in 70 contests this season. Carlson ranks 13th among defensemen in points and is just six points away from matching his point total from a year ago. His durability and consistent playmaking presence for the Capitals make him a strong blueliner to deploy in the fantasy playoffs.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Posts helper in win
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Carlson provided an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Ducks.
Carlson has four helpers over his last three games after contributing the secondary assist to help Aliaksei Protas secure a hat trick with an empty-netter. The 35-year-old Carlson has been as consistent as ever this season, racking up 43 points, 136 shots on net, 107 blocked shots and a plus-21 rating through 65 appearances.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Tallies two helpers in win
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Carlson provided two assists, had two shots on goal, blocked two shots and served two PIM in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Kraken.
Carlson dished out assists on Washington's second and third goals of the game which helped Dylan Strome and Connor McMichael find the back of the net. Overall, the 35-year-old Carlson has 38 assists, 42 points, 134 shots on net and 104 blocks in 64 outings this season. Washington's leader on the blue line has back-to-back games with at least one assist and a total of 13 helpers over his last 15 games. He is tied for 11th in the league in helpers and should be a steady source of offense for the rest of the season. Carlson has good value in all fantasy formats as he looks to match his point total of 52 from a season ago.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Pockets helper Friday
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Carlson registered an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 5-2 win over the Red Wings.
Carlson was held off the scoresheet in four straight contests after a stretch of 10 assists over nine games from Jan. 28 to Feb. 25. He snapped that slump when he assisted on Aliaksei Protas's tally at 5:17 of the third period. Carlson reached the 40-point mark on the play (four goals, 36 helpers), a level he has reached in eight of his 16 NHL campaigns. He has added 132 shots on net, 102 blocked shots, 41 hits and a plus-19 rating over 63 appearances in 2024-25. A consistent end to the campaign could see him get to the 50-point mark for the sixth time in eight years.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Keeps assist streak going
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Carlson recorded two assists and two blocked shots during Sunday's 7-3 win over the Oilers.
Carlson has recorded at least one assist in eight straight games dating back to Jan. 28. The 35-year-old defender has managed four goals, 38 points and a plus-23 rating in 57 games and continues to be one of the more dependable rearguards in the game, so keep him rolling.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Extends point streak
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Carlson tallied an assist, two shots and a plus-2 rating during Saturday's 8-3 win over the Penguins.
Carlson extended his assist streak to seven games with a secondary helper on forward Aliaksei Protas' second-period goal. The 35-year-old blueliner has managed four goals and 36 points in 56 games and remains one of the more solid fantasy rearguards in the league.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Extends assist streak
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Carlson logged an assist and four shots on goal in Sunday's 5-4 shootout loss to Utah.
Carlson picked up an assist for the sixth straight game when he helped out on Tom Wilson's game-tying tally late in the third period. The 35-year-old Carlson is up to 35 points over 55 outings, putting him right in line to match his 52-point output from the 2023-24 regular season. He's added 117 shots on net, 93 blocked shots and a plus-20 rating in 2024-25. Carlson wasn't selected to Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off, so he'll get some valuable rest over the next two weeks to refresh himself for the stretch run.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Five-game, five-assist streak
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Carlson tallied an assist Thursday in a 4-3 win over Philadelphia.
He has assists (five) in five consecutive games, which matches his best streak this season. Carlson continues to pace toward yet another 50-plus point campaign while blocking a lot of shots. His 3.6 shooting percentage is low this season -- his career average is 6.3. Carlson may see an uptick in goal scoring as Jakob Chychrun's pace slows -- his 12.0 shooting percentage is well above his 7.3 percent career average, and the younger defender has recently gone through his longest goal drought (seven games) of the season.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Garners helpers in win
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Carlson provided an assist and five shots on goal in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Panthers.
Carlson earned a helper for the fourth straight game when he set up Lars Eller's go-ahead goal in the third period. For the season, Carlson is up to four goals, 29 assists, 112 shots on net, 91 blocked shots, 39 hits and a plus-18 rating over 53 contests. He's been steady on offense and should challenge for the 50-point threshold while seeing top-pairing minutes.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Helps out on power play
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Carlson registered a power-play assist and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Flames.
Carlson set up Dylan Strome's second-period tally, which was the game-winner. With a goal and three helpers over his last eight contests, Carlson continues to chip in decent offense. This was his first power-play point since Dec. 31 versus the Bruins. The 35-year-old blueliner is up to 30 points (10 on the power play), 104 shots on net, 87 blocked shots and a plus-17 rating across 50 appearances.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Registers assist Tuesday
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Carlson logged an assist and two PIM in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Oilers.
Carlson helped out on a Tom Wilson tally in the first period. The 35-year-old Carlson has five points over his last eight outings. He's up to four goals, 25 helpers, 101 shots on net, 82 blocked shots and a plus-17 rating through 47 appearances. Carlson may not match last year's 52-point output, but he should be capable of getting back over the 40-point mark.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Goes bar-down for goal
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Carlson scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Ducks.
Carlson had gone 21 games without a goal, racking up 12 assists and 42 shots on net in that span. He put the Capitals ahead 2-0 in the first period of this contest. The 35-year-old defenseman remains stable in a top-pairing role, earning 28 points, 97 shots on net, 80 blocked shots and a plus-17 role through 44 games this season. Carlson's no longer among the elite scorers on the blue line, but he does plenty to help a fantasy team.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Lends helper in Nashville
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Carlson provided an even-strength assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Predators.
Carlson registered the secondary assist on Andrew Mangiapane's 10th goal of the season in the third period. Carlson has notched three assists through six contests in January, but he hasn't scored since Nov. 27, a span of 21 games. Washington has eight players with at least 10 goals this season, so Carlson hasn't been relied upon in that category. For the season, the right-shot blueliner is up to three goals, 27 points, 12 PIM, 95 shots on net, 33 hits, 79 blocked shots, 18 takeaways and a plus-16 rating through 43 outings.
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Capitals' John Carlson: Two helpers against Buffalo
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Carlson picked up two assists in Monday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Sabres.
It was the veteran blueliner's first multi-point performance since Dec. 14. Carlson managed just one point, an assist, in the 10 games between those outbursts, and his goal drought stands at 18 games. While Carlson's offensive numbers are down in 2024-25, he's compensated with strong defensive play -- he has a plus-14 rating through 40 appearances, putting him on pace to top a plus-20 rating for the first time since 2018-19.
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