Ahead of a game with major implications for both the Capitals and Hurricanes, Todd Reirden has shuffled his top six forwards.
Carl Hagelin has been promoted to the second line and will skate with Evgeny Kuznetsov and TJ Oshie. Jakub Vrana has been demoted to the third. Despite scoring, Vrana had the second lowest ice time among all Capitals players against the Flyers on Sunday and made a cameo with the third line for 1:37 at 5v5. He has 22 goals this season – second most on the Capitals.
The fourth line of Andre Burakovsky, Travis Boyd, and Nic Dowd stays intact.
Caps expected lineup:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Wilson
Hagelin-Kuznetsov-Oshie
Vrana-Eller-Connolly
Burakovsky-Dowd-BoydDjoos-Carlson
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Jensen— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) March 26, 2019
Braden Holtby is slated to start in net.
Since Hagelin joined the Caps he’s been on a bit of a tear. He’s got three goals and five assists in fourteen games, producing as much with the Caps as he had all season with the Penguins and Kings.
Adding Hagelin to Kuznetsov’s wing may provide a boost defensively. Kuzy has struggled in the defensive zone all season, but adding some support on his wings could be what helps the Caps win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong
