The Capitals’ power play is 0 for 9 throughout the first two video games of the season after the unit struggled mightily throughout the 2021-22 marketing campaign. The particular groups struggles are a significant explanation why the Capitals are winless to begin the season.
During the workforce’s morning skate on Saturday, Capitals head trainer Peter Laviolette made some adjustments, and maximum particularly, the highest power-play unit is getting a revamp.
Marcus Johansson was once added to PP1 whilst Evgeny Kuznetsov was once bumped right down to the second one workforce.
1st PP Unit
NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti stories that Johansson will play within the function line place whilst Dylan Strome will skate at the half-wall quarterback place that Kuznetsov was once in the past in. Johansson, who is outstanding at carry-ins, could be very aware of the down-low spot as it’s the place he performed his earlier stint with the Capitals.
“We’re just looking for changes,” Laviolette mentioned. “[We had] a starting point and we’ve been there for a little bit and it hasn’t worked and hasn’t produced. Let’s take a look at something else and see if that works.”
Turning to Johansson for his new function does have a a hit precedent. During his first seven seasons with the Caps, best Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom performed extra time at the power play than Johansson. Johansson’s 84 power-play issues ranked fourth at the workforce throughout that very same time span.
The strikes come after Laviolette mentioned the unit’s decision-making and execution are what has contributed to its freezing-cold get started.
“A lot of it is execution,” Laviolette mentioned postgame Thursday. “We’ve got to be better with what we’re doing out on the ice. We’ll go back and continue to work on it, but for me, I think the execution has got to be better. The decision-making, it’s what you’re doing, it’s what you’re thinking, it’s how we’re moving the puck. It’s gotta be better.”
The Capitals have struggled at the guy benefit with out Nicklas Backstrom, who stays out because of hip problems. Strome would be the subsequent participant to step up at the half-wall place that the Swedish heart used to occupy.
“He was good there,” Laviolette mentioned of Strome. “He became an option to shoot. He became an option to make plays. Again, just to change it. It hasn’t worked the way we wanted it to, to start.”
The 2nd unit at the morning skate sported Kuznetsov at heart with wingers Anthony Mantha and Connor Brown. The two defensemen are Dmitry Orlov and Erik Gustafsson.
Laviolette didn’t name the transfer a demotion for Kuznetsov and was once frank that he simply desires manufacturing from the devices as an entire.
“We’re going to need both units,” Laviolette mentioned. “The way it’s worded in the room, the unit that gets going is the unit that goes out for the next power play.”
Headline picture: Alan Dobbins/RMNB