Breaking down the new potential power play schemes in the absence of Alex Ovechkin
The Washington Capitals held a practice without Alex Ovechkin. Here's what the lines looked like.
The Washington Capitals held a big practice on Wednesday with the Colorado Avalanche in town Thursday. The lines from the morning but first a good message from T.J. Oshie.
Awesome day at the rink with Kalen!! @Capitals were all class again making this day special for her. I’m incredibly honored to help make her dream come true. Kalen you’re a star!! Excited for what’s in store tomorrow night! #ALLCAPS
— TJ Oshie (@TJOshie77) November 20, 2024
P.S. she stopped 4/5 of my shootouts and I… https://t.co/7HySjuvpW6
That was the real reason why it was a big practice. Now here was how the power play lined up via Sammi Silber of The Hockey News:
Power play 1: McMichael-Strome-Wilson-Carlson-Chychrun
Power play 2: Vrana-Dubois-Mangiapane-Miroshnichenko-Sandin
Capitals' first PP without Ovechkin:
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) November 20, 2024
McMichael-Strome-Wilson
Carlson-Chychrun
A quick look at the overall power play stats per NHL.com, the Caps rank 24th on the power play ahead of Wednesday's slate of games with a success rate of 16.4 percent. They've scored 27 goals on the season with the man advantage with a power play percentage of .750 percent. The Caps also have an overall plus/minus of 125 per Hockey Referernce.
Without Alex Ovechkin, the Caps only scored two power play goals from Tom Wilson and one only from Connor McMichael, John Carlson and Jakub Vrana.
Vrana talked about the opportunity after he took a trip down memory lane in Las Vegas with a power play strike remincent of the 2018 Stanley Cup run. He said this to Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network:
Vrana on Ovi: “We’ve got to face the reality. We’re a strong group here. Obviously, he’s a hell of a player, a big piece of this team, he’s our captain. But at the same time, it is what it is. We have to prepare to win games without him.” #Caps
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) November 20, 2024
It was emotional at first, to be completely honest. He's the hottest guy in the league. He's chasing something bigger than hockey. Everyone in the hockey world just feels that little bit of letdown, that emotion, that you're just pulling for him. He's putting everything he has into it. He feels all that pressure and the whole world of hockey is just rooting him on. To come in (the locker room) and see that he's hurt, it hurt a little bit as a teammate. But at the end of the day, that's hockey, it's part of the gig, stuff happens. Guys bounce back from injuries and he's going to do the same.
The Caps will hold an optional morning skate Thursday at 10:30 a.m. before puck drop at 7 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network.
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