Washington Capitals: Top 3 positional battles this preseason
#1 Connor McMichael vs. Hendrix Lapierre
This matchup takes a night off tonight unfortunately but may resume Monday night. Nicklas Backstrom talked to the media after Saturday’s morning skate and practice and said he hasn’t been on the ice yet since his hip injury and is still week to week.
On Friday they took turns centering the third line between Conor Sheary and T.J. Oshie. Connor McMichael entered camp as the front runner for the third line center but after two preseason games, it looks like Hendrix Lapierre is going to give him a run for his money. Whoever gets that spot will have to earn it in the final three preseason games.
https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1443372753013248001
Through the first two preseason games, Lapierre has assisted on four of the Capitals six goals in just under 29 minutes on the ice. Lapierre connected with Oshie on a breakaway goal and after the game Oshie had high praise for the rookie:
"“He skated really well, he moved the puck really well. thought for the most part we weren’t really in our own end and a lot of that was because of his skating through the middle, making great plays. He actually had two super nice plays to me in the middle and I didn’t quite read them fast enough. I had to get used to his hockey IQ, which seems pretty high. I thought he did a great job.”"
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Those are the top 3 positional battles to watch over the final four games. It’s what makes the preseason worth watching.