The Washington Capitals are on an 0-2 start to their 2022-23 campaign, and Saturday morning, Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette made a big change to his forward lines ahead of its game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Dylan Strome received a promotion to the top line between Alex Ovechkin and former junior teammate Connor Brown.
Here is what Laviolette came up with overall heading into the matchup with the Habs via The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir.
#Caps a.m. skate rushes ahead of MTL on Saturday night. Of note: Strome to the top line.
Ovechkin-Strome-Brown
Mantha-Kuznetsov-Oshie
Johansson-Eller-Protas
Sheary-Dowd-HathawayFehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
Gustafsson-TvRExtras: McMichael, Irwin, Snively
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 15, 2022
The changes here include Strome moving to the top line in place of Kuznetsov who now heads up the second line. Anthony Mantha has flipped wings, allowing TJ Oshie to jump into the top six for the first time this season. Prospect Aliaksei Protas skated on the right wing of the third line.
Strome is amid a hot start to his first season with the Caps, scoring a team-high three goals in the preseason. He also had an impressive primary assist to Anthony Mantha in his first regular season game. The second line he had been heading up between Mantha and Protas was easily the team’s best at five-on-five.
In 17:52 of ice time together, the Caps out-attempted their opposition 26 to 14 and had a plus-6 high danger chance differential. So, why the drastic change? Laviolette says the need to already find a win was the cause.
“We’re not here to play the game. We’re here to win the game,” Laviolette told El-Bashir after the skate Saturday. “So when the first two games don’t go the way you want, yeah, the urgency cranks up.”
The Caps gave their first attempt at a top line without Tom Wilson only two games. Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin, and Connor Brown have played just over 17 minutes together at five-on-five and been on the ice for two opposition goals and scored none of their own.
“We have to work through it,” Ovechkin said of the trio on Thursday. “It’s only the third game together. We have some chances. We have to talk, watch the video, and figure out what we have to do out there.”
El-Bashir also reports that Darcy Kuemper was the first netminder off the ice on Saturday morning. Kuemper will get his second official start in a Capitals uniform after taking the loss to the Boston Bruins in the Home Opener.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
