Aliaksei Protas missed all but one game of the Washington Capitals’ first-round series victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The 24-year-old forward was kept out of the club’s lineup by a skate-cut injury he suffered on April 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks with six games left in the regular season.
In his return to the Capitals’ lineup for Game 5 on April 30, Protas was placed on the team’s fourth line with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime. The 30-goal scorer played very few minutes with Dowd and Duhaime during the regular season, but head coach Spencer Carbery believes the combination is a good one and will further help Protas get back up to speed in a second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“Yeah, it’s huge to be able to slot him in there,” Carbery said Tuesday. “And he obviously adds a lot to that line as well in his skill set and what he does. And they had their most productive game, the Dowd line. They were solid through that series, but a really, really productive game in Game 5 with Pro on that line.”
With the three on the ice at five-on-five in the 4-1 win, the Capitals saw positive differentials in shot attempts (+1), scoring chances (+4), and high-danger chances (+3). They did not allow a single Montreal high-danger chance.
Protas played 16:48 of ice time in Game 5, ranking fourth among Capitals forwards. While he may start with Dowd and Duhaime on a line, Carbery has plans to use Protas like a Swiss Army knife in all situations.
“Pro’s going to move around our lineup,” Carbery said. “We’re going to try to monitor where he’s at physically. But he’s a big player for us, and I think utilizing him more and more and really getting him in different spots, moving around our lineup a little bit in certain situations, four-on-four, after power plays, penalty kills, all that type of stuff to get him out there. Because he looked good in his first game back, and I think he should continue to feel more and more comfortable, and can have a massive impact on the series.”
Protas acknowledged last week that despite returning to daily practice and playing in Game 5, he still hasn’t quite felt like his old self yet.
“I hope it’s not going to take lots of time, but I’ll do my best to help the team right now,” he said. “Just work hard every day, and hopefully it’s going to get even better, and we’ll continue to get better as a team during the series and during the playoffs.”
Protas had a breakout 2024-25 campaign, ranking third on the Capitals with 66 points (30g, 36a) in 76 games without spending nearly any time on the power play (10:06), and had the eighth-most even-strength points in the NHL (60) before getting injured.
The Capitals and Hurricanes will kick off their series at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night. Puck drop for Game 1 is set for 7:00 pm.
