The Washington Capitals will play the Vegas Golden Knights in their second game of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday night. After tinkering with his lineup at Monday’s practice, head coach Spencer Carbery will deploy Jakub Vrana on his third line against Vegas.
Tuesday will mark Vrana’s first regular-season contest in a Capitals uniform in over three years: his last game with the Caps was against the Boston Bruins on April 11, 2021. The 28-year-old winger will get his first chance in the lineup this season after earning a contract out of Training Camp, and Carbery wants to see more of what Vrana displayed during his preseason performances now that the goals for and against matter.
“[I want to see] speed, his shot, competitiveness on the puck, and as much as he can, in the moments when he does get into some defensive situations, do a real good job of being reliable in those spots,” Carbery said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “Find a few opportunities to show his elite offensive instincts, whether that’s off the rush, or that’s in the offensive zone. If he can accomplish that, it’ll be a good night for him.”
Vrana is set to jump into the fray on a third line that struggled mightily in Washington’s home opener loss to the New Jersey Devils. Carbery has already completely broken up that line, sending Sonny Milano to the press box and moving Aliaksei Protas onto his top trio.
The Czech winger has a significant opportunity to show he can drive play and box Milano out of the competition for ice time at left wing. Hendrix Lapierre will remain the center of the line but will have two new wingers, with Andrew Mangiapane slotting in on the right side.
“Well, the third line struggled, so it’s as simple as that,” Carbery said Monday. “I don’t need to go into the details of that. We’ve got to make a change on that third line to try to figure out a way to be able to deploy that line. It’s as easy as that.”
Vrana has had some of his best moments as a member of the Capitals when playing the Golden Knights, none bigger than his clutch goal against them in Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, which helped Washington win the franchise’s first-ever championship. He has also had regular-season success against Vegas with the Caps, tallying six points (2g, 4a) in his last four games.
Tune-up before tonight's tilt#ALLCAPS | @MedStarHealth pic.twitter.com/ns3FqXhnD9
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 15, 2024
The team’s third-line changes also forced Carbery to tweak his first line, swapping Protas for Mangiapane. Washington’s second and fourth lines remain the same.
The second-year bench boss also had some direct words for what Protas needs to accomplish with his promotion to Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome’s line. Ovechkin will be playing on the line’s right wing, leaving Protas to play his natural left-sided position.
“Speed, his skating, ability to recover some pucks, forecheck, create some turnovers, get to the interior offensively,” Carbery said when asked what he was looking for from Protas. “And also be able to do a real good job of when we don’t have the puck of getting it back and being in good position, able to defend playing against a top-six opposition line.”
Protas has yet to record a point against Vegas in four career games against the club.
