Smith-Pelly seeks to capitalize on title run
Forward settled in as scoring force during Stanley Cup playoffs
WASHINGTON — Devante SmithPelly knows his time on the Washington Capitals this season is different than his last. Before, he was largely an unknown addition to the team, a grinding power forward who had bounced around the NHL for six seasons before landing in Washington.
This year, only five games into the season, he can no longer walk in the city without being recognized. Even without his No. 25 jersey covering his 6-foot, 223-pound frame, nearly every hockey fan in Washington — and in his hometown of Toronto — knows who he is. Inside Capital One Arena last Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights a “DSP” chant — a staple during the team’s Stanley Cup run — once again broke out among fans.
The 26year-old right winger is the Capitals’ playoff hero, the one who scored seven goals in the postseason — which matched his regular season total — and helped give the team its first championship in franchise history. He was the breakout star of the playoffs, and now, his team could once again use his offensive productivity.
The Capitals’ bottom-six forwards have just scored two goals in the team’s first five games, with both goals — from newcomer Nic Dowd and third-line center Lars Eller — coming in Washington’s season-opening 7-0 win over Boston on Oct. 3.
“Looking at how things worked for us last year and the success we had, I would say it was paramount for why we were able to win the Stanley Cup,” Reirden said. “[It] was the depth of our Tonight, 7 TV: NBCSN Radio: 106.7 FM Washington’s Devante Smith-Pelly, who scored seven postseason goals last season, skates past Nikita Zaitsev of the Maple Leafs on Saturday. scoring. You know that is something we can continue to tinker with and find the right combinations in that bottom six role and find some chemistry there without changing it every other shift. But, trying to find the right mix and still probably haven’t found it yet.”
The main reason for the tinkering in the bottom-six has been due to forward Tom Wilson’s 20-game suspension, pending an appeal, for an illegal check to the head in the team’s preseason finale. With the Capitals down a forward, they brought in newcomer Dmitrij Jaskin, who is now playing on the fourth line alongside Dowd and Smith-Pelly. Jaskin played in his first game for the team on Oct. 10 against Vegas.
With Dowd’s three total goals last season in addition to Jaskin’s six goals, Smith-Pelly, as his recent track record has shown, has the most offensive promise of the group. With such strong numbers from Smith-Pelly in the playoffs, it created a sense of hope he would be able to carry that momentum into this year and became a secondary scoring threat for the Capitals. Through five games this season, he’s still searching for his first goal.
Scoring in Games 3, 4 and 5 in the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Golden Knights, Smith-Pelly’s most remarkable goal was his falling, offbalance equalizer in Game 5 that set the stage for Eller’s Cup winner.
At the time, Capitals rookie defenseman Christian Djoos said SmithPelly’s play was “just DSP,” and that “if there was a big goal to score, of course he is going to score it.” Now this year, the team knows Smith-Pelly can bring that spark to the offense. Though, it is coming with a learning curve given the new linemates.
Playing alongside Dowd and Jaskin, Smith-Pelly is the only returner on the line and the trio is still getting used to each other’s tendencies on the ice.
Called a “difference-maker” for his team in the playoffs, Reirden said he wants to continue to see Smith-Pelly push his game forward this season. Reirden said he is planning to move Smith-Pelly up and down the lineup a little and put him in different spots, depending on the opponent.
“For me it is important that he provides the energy he can and the ability he has to score big goals and also do a good job on the penalty kill,” Reirden said.