Ovie’s line gets a big, tough addition
Capitals hope big-bodied forward can provide net-front presence on top line
Alex Chiasson was asked the obvious in advance of aligning with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin for the first time tonight at Rogers Arena.
If the Washington Capitals’ right-winger has the puck on the hash marks with a clear shot on goal, does he defer and get it to the playmaking Kuznetsov? Or does he find Ovechkin in his office on the opposite faceoff dot for one of those one-time howitzer blasts?
For a guy who has played with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary and with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin in Dallas — and even logged power-play time with the Stars — it’s a double-edge dilemma of being responsible and opportunistic.
“That may have been the one thing that has hurt me in the past couple of years — having the puck in the offensive zone and trying to look for the other guys instead of just playing the game,” said Chiasson, who had 11 even-strength goals with the Flames last season.
“Obviously, there are times when you have to be patient and find those guys. But I know from just watching they may need more of a net presence offensively and not be a one-and-done type of top line.
“I see my role to be around the net and make sure I’m good on (puck) retrievals so we can spend more time in the offensive zone.”
It’s the same question that was asked for so many years in Vancouver.
More than two dozen rightwingers had various levels of success trying to complement Henrik and Daniel Sedin when they were piling up points and averaging 19 minutes a night as front-liners instead of 14 minutes on what is really a Canucks third line.
The Capitals’ current conundrum is more about bringing better balance and a physical presence. Ovechkin already has 10 goals in nine games, but doesn’t have an even-strength effort in his last five outings and is a minus-7 in that span.
Kuznetsov hasn’t scored, but has already accumulated a dozen assists.
So the task for Chiasson should be simple, right? Get those guys the puck. Ovechkin isn’t so sure.
“It’s toughness,” said Ovechkin of what the six-foot-four, 208-pound Chiasson can bring tonight. “He’s a tough guy to handle with battles in front of the net, so we have to use it. If we don’t have a net presence, it’s hard to score and I hope it’s going to work.
“We just have keep going and manage the puck, the speed and our game.”
The Capitals aren’t wowing anybody with a 4-4-1 start, but they had the seventh-rated power play before Wednesday’s game. The problem is 19 of their 27 goals have come from T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin.
Missing the injured Andre Burakovsky and Matt Niskanen doesn’t help at both ends of the ice. And playing four rookies is a challenge for coach Barry Trotz, who has seen his club lose three of its last four games.
It’s why he’s no different than Canucks coach Travis Green. Trying to find the right complement to offensive pairings is a work in progress and he’s willing to give the
27-year-old Chiasson a shot.
“They (Kuznetsov and Ovechkin) play a real good two-man game,” said Trotz. “You need somebody who can dig out pucks and make plays. He’s a real intelligent player who can just be reliable and get to the net and do all the things a good complement player can do.”
Trotz was just as curious about what’s happening in Vancouver as figuring out his roster. When he ran the Nashville Predators’ bench, he had a good read on the Canucks. Now, he can only admire their 5-3-1 record — and 4-1-0 road trip — from afar.
“With us, it’s got to be similar to what Vancouver is doing,” Trotz said of adjusting to missing departed veterans Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson, Karl Alzner and Nate Schmidt. “They (the Canucks) are getting everybody chipping in and we need the same thing.
“Vancouver is playing a real smart game. There’s nothing really sexy about it. They’re patient when they need to be and relentless when they need to be. And they take advantage of opportunities. They’re hard to play because they play that frustrating game.
“You’re used to seeing the Sedins as the No. 1 line and they’re playing (as little as) 12 minutes. I use to see them all the time and had a real good handle on them. Now it’s strange to see Daniel and Henrik not getting a lot of minutes, but they’ve got to spread it out and they’ve got some real good young players. We did that last year. We spread it out and didn’t have to extend guys or have too many play 20 minutes a night.”
It worked, at least in the regular season as the Capitals captured the Presidents’ Trophy for the second consecutive season.
The Canucks would settle for capturing a playoff position.
He’s a tough guy to handle with battles in front of the net ... If we don’t have a net presence, it’s hard to score and I hope it’s going to work.