Capitals Activate Protas for Sabres, Start Thompson in Goal

Overview

• Head coach Spencer Carbery said Saturday that Aliaksei Protas is cleared to play, returning to the top line after an upper-body injury.
• Ethen Frank reenters the lineup from a lower-body issue, with David Kampf and Ivan Miroshnichenko expected to sit as healthy scratches.
• Washington will stick with starting goalie Logan Thompson despite allowing six goals in his last outing.
• Protas had missed two games after a head-first collision with former teammate Nic Dowd in the recent Vegas matchup.
• Elsewhere, Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov skated with the team for the first time since December hip surgery, a notable step in his rehab.