Capitals put everything on their lines
Trotz’s new combos will likely stand as is with Game 6 set for Monday in Pittsburgh
Overshadowed in what appeared to be a demotion for captain Alex Ovechkin was the corresponding move. As Capitals coach Barry Trotz shifted Ovechkin to the third line before Washington’s Game 5 against Pittsburgh, Andre Burakovsky was bumped up the lineup to play alongside centre Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie.
On the surface, Burakovsky had done little to earn such a promotion with two assists in 10 playoff games before Saturday. But Burakovsky had constantly looked to be on the precipice of scoring, arguably having the best chances of any Capitals forward without getting rewarded. With the old forward combinations growing stale, Trotz figured Burakovsky’s speed would complement Backstrom and Oshie, while Ovechkin’s presence on a third line would create a trickier matchup for the Penguins.
It worked, at least for one night, and Burakovsky’s strong play is an encouraging sign it could work again Monday in Game 6. He’s the Capitals’ streakiest goal-scorer and his success with Backstrom and Oshie could allow the team to roll three scoring lines against Pittsburgh, something Washington was unable to do at the start of this series.
On one shift back beside third-line centre Lars Eller, Burakovsky was able to finally capitalize on one of his chances, scoring Washington’s first goal of the game. In the third period, Burakovsky set up Backstrom’s game-tying goal en route to the 4-2 Capitals win. He’s just the fourth forward to score a goal for the team in this series.
“I’ve been creating a lot of chances, so it was nice to finally get one,” Burakovsky said. “I’ve been working hard to help the team and to produce. I’m a player that should produce and I haven’t done that this series. So it was nice to get a goal today and an assist for Nicky. Now we’re just going to take it from here.”
With Washington scoring four goals on Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury for the first time all series, it seems likely Trotz will stick with Saturday’s line combinations.
“Be honest with you, for us I don’t think it matters who is going to play with (who) and who going to play against each other,” Ovechkin said. “Right now it’s not a good time to talk about, ‘Well, I’m going to play less or I’m going to play more.’ We’re here to get result and we’re here to get successful as a team, not individual. That’s a big part of our success.”