The Washington Capitals practiced at 2:30 pm on Thursday, nine days after their last game — a 4-3 overtime victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Capitals were without Tom Wilson and Nic Dowd during the session. Both players rehabbed lower-body injuries and skated before the team took the ice.
Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette changed every forward line from the Columbus Blue Jackets game.
This is how the team lined up per The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir and NBC Sports Washington’s Matt Weyrich.
Ovechkin-Strome-NAK
Sheary-Kuznetsov-Oshie
Johansson-Backstrom-Milano
Hathaway-Eller-Mantha
Wholesale changes, folks.
Lineys!#CapsJackets | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/YLupP9KyYd
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 31, 2023
Nicholas Aube-Kubel was promoted back to the first line with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. The trio has appeared in three games and spent 29 minutes together, scoring twice and being on the ice for two goals. But the underlying play is more impressive. The Capitals’ NAK-led first line has posted a 63.6 expected goals percentage, per MoneyPuck, fourth-best amongst 40 Capitals line combinations that have skated 25 minutes together or more this season.
Evgeny Kuznetsov reclaimed his second-line center spot and will skate with Conor Sheary and TJ Oshie. Nicklas Backstrom centered Marcus Johansson and Sonny Milano on the third while the fourth line had a very interesting look. Lars Eller skated between Garnet Hathaway and Anthony Mantha.
Since Backstrom and Wilson returned from major offseason surgeries, Mantha has gotten considerably less playing time and was scratched in four different games last month (Jan 11, Jan 17, Jan 19, and Jan 31).
Mantha has had 272:47 of five-on-five ice time with Lars Eller this season – the most of any other Capitals teammate. The duo has posted a 53.6 shot-attempts percentage together but a negative goals differential (minus five).
The Capitals have back-to-back matinee games this weekend against the Boston Bruins (away) and San Jose Sharks (home). The Caps currently sit in the first wild-card spot, one point ahead of Pittsburgh who has three games in hand.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
