On Monday, Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette spoke to the media following morning skate ahead of tonight’s tilt against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (7 PM, NBC Sports Washington). He discussed left-wing Beck Malenstyn, who will make his 2022-23 season debut against New Jersey, how defensive scoring is critical, and continuing success as they head into November.
Beck Malenstyn will enter the lineup at left wing on the fourth line. Laviolette liked how Malenstyn’s training camp went, saying, “[He] kinda fits the mold of that fourth line, his physical play, and I like the way he played last year, he skates well…we need to be moving well, and skating well tonight, but [he] really fits the mold of that fourth line.”
Malenstyn could also provide much-needed help to the Capitals’ struggling penalty kill. “Beck’s good penalty killing,” Laviolette said. He added the Capitals’ PK “at times, it looks good” and others not so much. “Last game was a good step in the right direction and we gotta continue to work at it and try to fill those minutes the best we can.”
On facing the Devils tonight, Laviolette noted their speed and offensive abilities will challenge the Capitals. “We’re gonna have to be sharp defensively and make sure we manage our gameplay—our game the way we want to play it. We’re going to have to crank up our gears and get into a good skating game tonight. It’s good challenges. They’re a good, young team.”
Laviolette spoke of center Connor McMichael, noting the 21-year-old had a good season last year and produces a solid worth ethic. “There’s always decisions about drawing into the lineup and who goes in,” the head coach said. “Mikey’s a good player [who’s] developing and getting better as he stays here and practices and plays games and gathers experience. He’ll continue to grow and get better.
“That’s all we talk about in the room right now is defense just because the teams are so dynamic offensively, and so you gotta defend the right way,” Laviolette said regarding blueline productivity. “The minute you don’t defend the right way, there [are] holes that are exploited and scoring areas that are left open, and just seems that the players are getting out of those areas pretty quick, and they have the skill level to execute there as well, so doesn’t surprise me scoring is up, or a lot of goals being scored. There’s a lot of talent in the league.”
Laviolette reiterated that all teams go through injuries and lineups will change with players drawing in, yet the Capitals “do not even talk about it,” adding, “We’re early into this year. Obviously, it didn’t start the way we wanted in the first two games, but I feel like we kinda turned it around and keep building toward a successful month, but whoever goes in that lineup tonight is expected to play well and expected to win.”
“I think that comes from having a veteran team too because when you’ve got some veteran players in there [who] have a standard or an expectation of how the game should be played tonight and how to deliver that game, I think that young players fall in line and follow suit, so I give a lot of credit to leadership in the room from making sure we function the way we’re supposed to function.”
“We’re going to have to crank up our gears and get into a good skating game tonight. It’s good challenges, they’re a good, young team.”
Full media availability with head coach Peter Laviolette from morning skate. #CapsDevils | @SociosUSA pic.twitter.com/OLp9VcQSZ8
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 24, 2022
By Della Young