Notes from Capitals’ Morning Practice: Line Changes Again

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Jon Sorensen

The Capitals returned to practice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex Monday morning following a much-needed day off on Sunday. The Capitals will  look to rebound from their embarrassing 8-2 drubbing in South Philly on Saturday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night at Capital One Arena. 

Practice:
It looks like Barry Trotz has once again changed up the defensive pairs for Tuesday night’s tilt with Toronto. It looks like Aaron Ness is now the seventh Defenseman.

Trotz is now going with the Orpik-Bowey, Djoos-Carlson and Orlov-Chorney pairs, with Niskanen out of the lineup.

Lars Eller did not attend practice this morning (illness). Eller showed up at Kettler this morning unde the weather, and was sent home by the team. As a result the forward lines also looked a little different. Trotz stated after practice he wasn’t sure if Eller would be able to go tomorrow night versus Toronto.

Tyler Graovac replaced Eller at the third line Center position.

Braden Holtby will get the start tomorrow night versus the high-flying Maple Leafs.

Shavings:

  • The Capitals will hold their annual season ticket holder event this evening at Capital One Arena.
  • Through the first six games of the season, Evgeny Kuznetsov’s 11 assists leads the NHL. Kuznetsov became the first player to record 11 assists within a team’s first six games since Joe Thornton in the 2012-13 season.
  • Currently, Kuznetsov is tied with Nicklas Backstrom for the NHL lead in points (11). Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals (9). The Capitals have three players with with at least 10 points this season (Kuznetsov: 11, Backstrom: 11, Ovehckin: 10). No other team has one player.

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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3 Responses to Notes from Capitals’ Morning Practice: Line Changes Again

  1. Anonymous says:
    October 16, 2017 at 1:57 pm

    Can they work on defensive zone coverage instead?

    Reply

  2. Pingback: Washington Capitals Daily Links: More Stars For Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov Continues Historic Pace | NoVa Caps

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