The Capitals are sticking with their shaken up lines as they continue to search for offense with Alex Ovechkin out of the mix.
Head coach Spencer Carbery tweaked the Washington Capitals lines in search of more offense and made a bold move, breaking up the once thought to be unbreakable fourth line and moving Taylor Raddysh to the top-6.
With Alex Ovechkin out the next few weeks as he recovers from a broken leg, Carbery is sticking with Raddysh on the top-6 as he hopes his new combinations can keep the Capitals' red-hot forecheck going.
And for D.C., keeping Raddysh on the second line is the right move — and it could continue to pay off.
At 5-on-5, Raddysh is one of the Capitals' top performers, leading all skaters with at least five games in expected goals for percentage (57.42), scoring chances for percentage (57.27) and high-danger Corsi for percentage (63).
The 26-year-old also ranks in the top 10 when it comes to Corsi for percentage and total shots for and when he's on the ice at 5-on-5, he's allowed the fifth-least scoring chances against among forwards.
Through 21 games this season, Raddysh has three goals and five assists, though he's generated several chances that make him a major threat on the ice.
The proof is in the pudding, too. Raddysh provided a significant boost to that second line with Connor McMichael and Pierre-Luc Dubois; together, their Corsi for percent went from 47.74 without Raddysh to 61.76, while the expected goals for percentage for that line increased by nearly five percent as the scoring chances for percentage was boosted by over 11 percent.
The top-6 is also not unfamiliar territory; he played there plenty with the Chicago Blackhawks, and just two seasons ago, had 20 goals. He's the kind of player that can get to the dirty areas of the ice and finish, and that's why Carbery promoted him.
"You've got to add by generating and getting chances in the interior, and that's what we're working on," Carbery said of moving Raddysh to that second line.
Carbery will be sticking with the same combinations as the Capitals continue their pre-Thanksgiving Florida road swing on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Watch for Raddysh to not only continue to make an impact there but try to get back to his scoring ways.
