Washington Capitals Coach Barry Trotz alluded to changes on the defense pairs before Wednesday’s game, that Taylor Chorney would be in the lineup for Nate Schmidt. But with Schmidt not missing a shift against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, the swap seemed to be about performance.
When the Capitals came out for warmups, Schmidt wasn’t on the ice, unusual for a healthy scratch. The team then announced that he was missing the game because of a lower-body injury and was listed as “day-to-day.” After the game, Trotz indicated that the injury is likely not that serious.