Aliaksei Protas is celebrating his 22nd birthday today. What did Peter Laviolette get him as a present? Protas will be a healthy scratch against the Nashville Predators.
The Washington Capitals’ young Belorussian will sit for the first time this season after playing in the first 41 games of the season.
Protas will be replaced in the lineup by Nic Dowd, who missed Thursday’s game in Columbus due to the birth of his second child.
Here is how the Capitals lined up for rushes before their game against the Preds via The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir.
#Caps' line/pairs/starter vs. NSH:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Sheary
Milano-Strome-Oshie
Johansson-Eller-NAK
Mantha-Dowd-HathawayGustafsson-TvR
Orlov-Jensen
Fehervary-IrwinLindgren
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) January 6, 2023
Protas tallied an assist in the Caps’ 6-2 victory over the Blue Jackets to give him 10 points (3g, 7a) on the season. That is a new single-season career high for him after he posted 9 points (3g, 6a) in 33 games in his rookie campaign last year.
The Capitals as a team have been absurdly good when Protas is on the ice this season at five-on-five. In those 432 minutes of ice time, the Caps see 55.4 percent of the shot attempts, 57 percent of the expected goals, 53.4 percent of the scoring chances, and 57 percent of the high-danger chances.
The youngster’s absence may signal what is to come in the near future when the Caps try to make room on the roster for a healthy Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson. He is the only waivers-exempt player currently on the NHL roster. Laviolette said during his pregame press conference that neither Backstrom nor Wilson will dress on Friday but remain a possibility for Sunday against Columbus.
Alex Alexeyev and Joe Snively will join Protas in the press box. Alexeyev also played against the Blue Jackets on Thursday. He has been replaced by Matt Irwin.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
