Tom Wilson’s three-game suspension has put the Washington Capitals in a difficult place against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Without their top-line winger — and with Andre Burakovsky also hurt — the Capitals are thin on top six forwards.
In an attempt to replace Wilson, coach Barry Trotz moved Devante Smith-Pelly from the third line to the first. After a 3-1 loss Thursday, the results weren’t kind — star Alex Ovechkin went without a shot on goal. The line, in general, failed to get into a rhythm.
Now, Trotz has to decide whether to give the group another chance for Saturday’s Game 5, or replace Smith-Pelly with someone else.
“We’re looking at that,” Trotz said. “That whole line has to be better. That whole line has to be better for us. They’re going to need to be productive for us.”
From a lineup standpoint, Trotz faces a challenge in finding the right fit.
Smith-Pelly, at least, had experience of playing with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov during the regular season. The line recorded nearly 152 minutes of ice time in 37 games.
Besides Wilson and Smith-Pelly, the only forward to have played with Kuznetsov and Ovechkin more than 50 minutes is rookie Jakub Vrana. They saw 94 minutes of ice time across 15 games, and were a +4, meaning they outscored opponents by four goals when on the ice.
An Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Vrana line, though, has its defensive concerns.
“When you have Willy there, he does a lot,” Vrana said. “He goes around, he wins a lot of pucks, he makes hits. I think Devo did a really good job. He was skating, he played hard and that’s what you’ve got to do.
“Kuzy is a skilled player so you’ve got to give him the puck and he can make plays and Ovi is obviously a goal scorer so as a third guy there you have to make sure you fit on the line with your speed and physicality and win battles and help them offensively too.”
Trotz doesn’t necessarily have to keep Ovechkin and Kuznetsov together. Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom were reunited in late November, which led to a 11-2 streak. But Trotz went away from it once the offense stalled after the All-Star break. And the second line of Chandler Stephenson, Backstrom and T.J. Oshie have done a good job defensively in this series.
Whatever the solution is, the Capitals’ priority must be getting Ovechkin more involved.
Before Thursday, Ovechkin had scored in three games against the Penguins, including a game-winner in Game 3. The Capitals star has eight goals this postseason — his highest since the 2009 playoffs.
Against Pittsburgh, Ovechkin’s goals have all come on odd-man rushes. The Penguins did a better job of limiting those chances in Game 4.
“The most dangerous thing with Alex is his shot, so put your shot in play and then go from there,” Trotz said.
Ovechkin had two shot attempts, in which both missed.
If Trotz sticks with Smith-Pelly on the right wing —and there’s no guarantee he will — the Capitals coach said the line has to come together quickly.
“We don’t have time for anything,” Trotz said. “Our time frame’s short.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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