Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev had a career-first during the team’s 8-3 victory against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Russian defenseman led all Capitals in ice time after receiving 23:07 TOI from head coach Peter Laviolette.

His big night came after a previous career-high in ice time three nights earlier, with 25:07 against the Anaheim Ducks. Alexeyev was forced into a bigger role by injuries suffered in-game to Nick Jensen and Martin Fehervary, which limited the Capitals to four defenders for a part of the night.

“He was really good,” a beaming Laviolette said after the Ducks game. “So for me, he stood out. I really liked his skating, his quick decisions, I liked his quick puck movement. It was one of the better games I’ve seen him play so I’d like to see him build off that.”

Alexeyev’s opportunity came in part due to the trade deadline deals of Dmitry Orlov and Erik Gustafsson.

“[Roles are] different because there’s a lot of change in personnel,” Laviolette said. “But that again, we’ve had a lot of change in personnel all year. Guys have not been in the lineup for different reasons and this is no different, and guys get an opportunity because there are spots in the lineup that need to be filled.”

In Alexeyev’s two games since the deadline, the Capitals are nearly even in 5v5 shot attempts (37 for, 38 against), but have had far more scoring chances (18 for, 13 against) and high-danger chances (8 for, 5 against) when he’s on the ice per Natural Stat Trick. The Capitals have also dominated in expected goals (2.05 vs. 1.49) at 5v5 when Alexeyev has skated, in real-life outscoring their opponents 3 to 2.

Alexeyev’s success comes after being scratched 13 consecutive games — including the entire month of February — by Peter Laviolette. During that time, Laviolette relied heavily on Matt Irwin and then Dylan McIlrath, who was called-up from the Hershey Bears, on the team’s third pairing.

Overall, Alexeyev’s usage during his first full season has been strange due to several factors.

After starting the season on the Capitals’ injured list due to offseason shoulder surgery, Alexeyev was eventually sent down to Hershey for a rehabilitation stint and played four games in the AHL from October 28 through November 6.

Alexeyev was activated and has served most of his time as the team’s seventh or eighth defenseman, getting more playing time in practice than in actual games. Due to his age and the time of his birthday, the first-round pick from the 2018 NHL Draft was not exempt from waivers this season, therefore the Capitals had to essentially stash him on the roster to keep him from being claimed by another team.

Despite major injuries to other defensemen, Alexeyev has not played in many games. He played once on November 9. When Dmitry Orlov and John Carlson suffered injuries, he played in 11 games from December 3 to January 21, missing three weeks himself during that span due to an injury he suffered via a headshot from Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak.

After posting a minus three against the Vegas Golden Knights on January 21, Laviolette sat the prospect until the trade deadline forced Alexeyev back into the lineup. He’s been a revelation since then.