For Pierre-Luc Dubois, The Mentality Has Been Team Over Everything. That's Why He's Thriving As An Impact Player For The Capitals trucc

The Capitals center has six points in his last six games, but it's his play away from the scoresheet that's opening eyes in the organization.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — For Pierre-Luc Dubois, his time with the Washington Capitals isn't going to be defined by his stats; instead, it'll be defined by the results on the scoreboard.

As he continues his first year in the District, the 26-year-old has embraced a total team-first mentality, and it's helped him not just live up to the expectations that management had when they traded for him, but exceed them at the same time.

Of late, Dubois is starting to get rewarded on the scoresheet; he scored his first even-strength goal of the season last game (ending a 12-game goal drought)( and has put up points in five of his last six games, producing at a point-per-game pace over that span.

While it's nice for him to get rewarded with goals and assists, Dubois stressed multiple times that it's not about the numbers; it's about the opportunities he and his linemates are generating and how he's contributing to the team's overall success.

"(Scoring) kind of gets that streak out of your head, but at the same time, it's when the chances stop coming that you should be worried," Dubois told The Hockey News. "I thought our line was playing really well. It was going in for Mikey, just wasn't going in for me. It's a team game, we're winning games, we're playing well, our line's playing well. You gotta think of the bigger picture."

Among forward lines with at least 140 combined minutes played, Dubois' second line is the third-best in the league when it comes to expected goals for percentage (55.8). At 5-on-5, Dubois himself ranks fourth on the team in scoring chances for percentage (53.59) at 5-on-5 and second in high-danger Corsi for percentage (57.55).

Watching the 6-foot-4 center, it's easy to see that he's been a huge contributor on offense; he's using his size and skating to his advantage, carrying the puck with ease and making smart, crafty passes, while using his hockey IQ to open lanes for his temamates.

"We're getting a ton of chances," Dubois added. "I wasn't scoring, but if you're helping them and doing well, (it's good). Everybody loves to score, but everybody loves to win and play well even better."

At the other end of the ice, Dubois has also been utilized against other team's top lines and has thrived as a two-way forward, something that's made him even more valuable. He ranks fourth on the team in defensive zone face-offs and ranks third in Fenwick for (unblocked shot attempts for the team when that specific player is on the ice) at 5-on-5.

"I did not know (he was that strong against other top lines in the league). I knew he had size, the strength," head coach Spencer Carbery said, adding, "I'm coming to learn how intelligent of a player he is and how well he defends and reads situations, especially against the best players in the world. He's so intuitive."

Going forward, Dubois said he'd love to see more bounces go his way, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters to him is the Capitals' place int he standings.

"When you get one after a long streak of not scoring it’s a little sigh of relief but you’re still hungry for more," Dubois said, but added, "When the team wins, you can't really say anything. You're happy."