The Capitals added six new skaters. They’ve fit in ‘seamlessly.’ trucc

Last season, Capitals Coach Spencer Carbery changed his lines frequently, constantly searching for new combinations that would provide a spark. That hasn’t been the case this preseason.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The biggest question facing the Washington Capitals when training camp began was how six new skaters would fit into the lineup. Each was acquired to fill a specific role, and Coach Spencer Carbery and his staff spent the summer sketching out possible combinations.
 
Two weeks into training camp, with the season opener drawing closer, the early answer for how the puzzle pieces fit together is simple.
 
“All the guys fit in seamlessly,” forward Connor McMichael said last week. “It’s pretty crazy. It doesn’t happen too often that way.”

Washington opened camp with Dylan Strome centering Alex Ovechkin, with whom he played for long stretches of last season, and new acquisition Andrew Mangiapane. McMichael moved from center to wing to skate with new center Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson. On the fourth line, center Nic Dowd had new wingers in Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh.

Defensively, Jakob Chychrun slotted in next to John Carlson, and while Carbery considered pairing Matt Roy with Rasmus Sandin, Sandin’s delayed arrival because of a visa issue meant Roy instead began with Martin Fehervary — and they remain a pair now that Sandin has arrived.

Of those groupings, only Chychrun and Carlson was intended to be temporary; Carbery said on the first day of camp that the goal was for Carlson, with his deep knowledge of Washington’s systems, to help Chychrun get up to speed as quickly as possible. On Sunday, Carbery changed his tune, saying he has liked the pair and the Capitals will “stick with it for now.”

Last season, Carbery changed his lines frequently, constantly in search of combinations that would provide a spark and help a scoring-deficient team find increased offense. This time around, with just one preseason game remaining, none of the combinations have been changed, and they’re not likely to be.

“I think that fourth line, Dowder’s line, for sure, [we] have been really happy with thus far through the practices [and] through the exhibition games,” Carbery said Wednesday. “Stromer’s line, kind of felt like that, because [Ovechkin] and Stromer have played together in the past, there was some familiarity there. Wasn’t too concerned with Mangiapane playing his off side; [he] has played there before. The Dubois line is probably the biggest — I don’t want to say change, but that line, we were a little bit uncertain of would there be some chemistry there, [with McMichael] on the wing. We’ve felt like that’s been a good line.”

Duhaime, Raddysh and Dowd clicked in their first preseason game, as did Strome, Ovechkin and Mangiapane. The chemistry has been slower to build for Dubois, Wilson and McMichael, but that line turned in its best performance of the preseason in Monday’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

On the top line, Mangiapane brings speed and grit, which helps create space for Strome and Ovechkin to operate. Mangiapane’s commitment to applying pressure on the forecheck allows them to keep sequences alive in the offensive zone.­

“[Playing with Ovechkin is] definitely, I guess, daunting to start with,” Mangiapane said. “Obviously he’s one of the best players of all time. I’m just trying to focus on my game and not let it get to me. I feel like if I just go out there, play my game, I’m sure that will click and we’ll build chemistry as it goes on.”

Though Chychrun and Carlson weren’t originally planned to be a permanent combination — or, as permanent as any combination is when injuries and changes are an inevitable part of a season — their performance against the New Jersey Devils last week helped Carbery view them as a strong option going into the season.

The risk associated with playing two offensively minded defensemen together is real, but so is the reward when two players who are skilled with the puck combine with the forwards to create a threatening five-man unit.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing with defensemen who kind of play a similar game, and like-minded players,” Chychrun said. “It makes it fun to make reads off each other and have fun with the puck when we have it, control the play. And then also use our skating ability and communication and experience to also make reads on closing plays in the [defensive] zone, neutral zone and whatnot. It’s been fun for sure.”

Since Sandin’s arrival, he has skated with Trevor van Riemsdyk on the third pair, which should remain stable when the regular season begins. That leaves the third forward line as the only group in flux, as it has been throughout camp.
Andrew Cristall skated on the left wing with Hendrix Lapierre and Aliaksei Protas at Wednesday’s practice. Carbery’s comments afterward indicated Lapierre and Protas are likely to remain on the line, which leaves their left winger as the final spot up for grabs.

“The third line’s a little bit of a work in progress,” Carbery said. “Seeing where we’re going to go with that with Lappy and Pro. We’ll see. [Sonny Milano has] played there a little bit. Is it [Ivan Miroshnichenko]? That’s the spot that we’ve been eyeballing and trying to evaluate.”