The Washington Capitals fell short to the Boston Bruins in their season and home opener on Wednesday night, with Tom Wilson scoring the lone goal for the home team. Although the Capitals had 36 shots on goal to Boston’s 22, they were unable to convert and find the offense they needed. The team lacked chemistry and the lineup was even changed several times midway through the match, to no avail.
They also went 0-for-5 on the power play, creating an overall disappointing start to their season. It was clear that a real shakeup was needed, and head coach Spencer Carbery made such adjustments in practice after the loss. As the team embarked on its first road trip this weekend, success on the ice was the key to getting off to a good start.
Capitals practice lineup – October 10
Ovechkin-Strome-McMichael
Protas–Dubois–Wilson
Beauvillier–Lapierre–Leonard
Duhaime – Dowd – Sourdif
Fehervary-Carlson
Sandin Roy
Chychrun – van Riemsdyk
Chisholm-Iorio
Thompson
Lindgren
Notable lineup changes
The most notable changes to the lineup are to the top six forwards. Connor McMichael switched wings and moved to the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. Ovechkin had started on the right wing with Strome and Aliaksei Protas against Boston, and McMichael was moved up midway through the game. The second line, consisting of Protas, Wilson and Pierre-Luc Dubois, is no stranger to playing together.
Last season, they played a combined 192:22 of five-on-five ice time and were very effective. During their shared ice time, the Capitals saw 56.2 percent of shot attempts, 57.7 percent of expected goals, 56.7 percent of scoring chances and 53.9 percent of high-danger chances. The only goal in Wednesday’s match came from that line combination, with Protas registering the assist on Wilson’s goal. Protas had a three-point performance alongside his linemates on Saturday evening.
Dylan McIlrath is making steps to join the line-up soon. The defender did not wear a non-contact jersey during Friday’s practice, but remains on injured reserve for the time being. McIlrath is a big, physical defender, and his presence could be an asset for the Capitals. Sonny Milano remains an extra skater, but his quick attack and accurate shooting could also be helpful to the team. It will be interesting to see how Carbery deploys players and tests lines to find the keys to success early in the season.
Carbery and others talk about lack of success and change
Carbery talked about his line changes to the media on Friday. “I’ll tell you this: Those lines are going to move. You guys know me by now,” he said. “I’m looking for hot hands. All our guys know each other well enough that there’s not a lot – especially in our top six – there’s not a lot of surprises when guys move around. Tom Wilson now knows Connor McMichael, Protas, Dubois, Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome.”
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These players were consistently in the top six last season and had undeniable chemistry and success. The first game of the season is an adjustment for everyone, especially with all the fuss and excitement that comes with a home opener. Wilson spoke to Caps this morninga Capitals podcast, about the team’s loss and what needs to change.
“I mean, honestly, I thought we were probably the better team,” he said. “But I mean, like any season opener, there’s some good things, some bad things. So, you know, we were pushing… obviously in the first game there’s a lot of excitement and pucks bouncing and stuff, and guys just aren’t fully connected.” He went on to explain that the red carpet, the excitement, and the welcome skate exhaust the players, and that halfway through the game their energy is not where it normally is in the middle of the game.
Defenseman Jakob Chychrun agreed, saying: “Obviously there’s a lot going on, you know, there’s a lot to do when you show up and break everyone’s routine a little bit. And it was hectic before the game, but that’s fine. You know, every first game is like that at the beginning of the year.”
The Capitals headed to New York this weekend for a back-to-back against the Islanders and Rangers. It was clear in their 4-2 win against the Islanders that the line is changing and a break from the excitement of the home opener served as a hard reset for the team. Next up is Rangers on Sunday.
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