Six Gun City – For the first time in Washington’s half century franchise history, the Capitals have six defensemen with 20 or more points, a remarkable rebound from one of the team’s most fallow seasons in terms of offense from the back end in 2023-24.
Last season, Washington deployed a dozen different defensemen, and only two of them (John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin) reached the 20-point plateau. The group totaled 135 points (20 goals, 115 assists) for an average of 1.65 points per game from the back end. That point total ranked 30th among the 32 clubs in the League last season, and it was the lowest per game contribution from a Washington blueline crew since 2010-11.
Trevor van Riemsdyk’s sublime secondary assist on Alex Ovechkin’s goal in Winnipeg on Tuesday night pushed him to the 20-point plateau, completing the six-pack.
“It just goes to show how things have been this season, with guys stepping up with a lot of career highs this season,” says van Riemsdyk. “It seems like at this point of the year, those are getting announced I think it just goes to show through our lineup, whether first line through fourth line, everyone's been competing and contributing. And it makes things a lot harder on our opponents, when you can just cycle through guys, everyone's getting out there when they're fresh, and making it a tough night for our opponents.”
Entering tonight’s game, the Caps’ defense crew has amassed 184 points (34 goals, 150 assists), and their per game rate of 2.59 is just a hair ahead of Colorado (2.58) for the top spot in the circuit.
“It's been a huge part of why we've transformed offensively this year from last year,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery. “And the offensive contributions of not just the new guys, but I think [van Riemsdyk], Johnny, Marty Fehervary, Sandin, those guys just doing a little bit more with some pucks in the offensive zone or off the rush has really helped. And you've seen it in production, and It's helped their forwards be more productive, and it's helped our whole team be more productive. I can't say enough good things about our [defense] corps and what they've given us offensively to be able to produce the way that we have.”
Washington’s blueline corps leads the NHL with 150 assists; the last time the Caps’ defense combined for more assists was 1993-94 when it combined for 153 helpers.
“I think it's a connection of all five on the ice, really,” says Caps assistant coach Mitch Love, whose area of responsibility is the team’s defensemen. “At the end of the day, I feel like our [defensemen] have played the game more on our toes than our heels this year. Obviously, the additions have helped; [Jakob Chychrun] brings a certain element, and John is John. He is going to find his 40, 50 or 60 points a year. But it's the other guys too, that have just evolved their offensive game, and understanding that we’ve got to help be a part of the offense and help generate offense, having productive pucks, whether it’s a good seal down the wall to keep an extra puck alive, not getting shots blocked, looking for sticks, knowing our outs when we don’t have a shooting lane, and our forwards being there to get those secondary opportunities to stay in the [offensive] zone.
“But really, at the end of the day, it’s just a connection of all five on the ice and our guys have done a good job of being part of that on the back end.”
To Love’s point, the achievement of the Caps’ blueline corps has helped elevate the team’s top six forward group, too. Four of Washington’s top six forwards have already reached the 60-point level, and two more – Tom Wilson (59) and Connor McMichael (54) could join them before season’s end. If they do, it would mark just the third time in franchise history – and first since 1991-92 – that Washington would have a six-pack of forwards with 60 or more points.
The Mack – Another city, another road game, and another contract extension for a deserving Caps defenseman. Soon after the Caps’ bus arrived at Xcel Energy Center for Thursday’s morning skate, a loud and prolonged group roar could be heard emanating from the visiting locker room; Carbery informed the players of a two-year, one-way contract extension totaling $1.6 millon for veteran defenseman Dylan McIlrath, who is finishing up his fourth season in the Washington organization.
Two days earlier, on a game day morning in Winnipeg – McIlrath’s hometown – the Caps announced Chychrun’s eight-year, $72 million extension.
The Caps dealt with early season injury absences of Matt Roy and Chychrun, but since the latter returned to action last Nov. 9 in St. Louis, the team has dressed and deployed the same six blueliners for 58 straight games, leaving McIlrath and Alex Alexeyev on the shelf for a much longer period of time than any of the team’s seventh/eighth defensemen in recent seasons.
Both players have handled the situations like the true professionals they are, without complaint, in full support of their teammates and with a diligent work ethic day after day in practice.
McIlrath’s teammates respect his dedication, and they know he is capable of doing the job when called upon.
“They were pretty excited this morning when we broke the news to them,” says Carbery. “[McIlrath is] someone that has become just such a big part of our locker room, and I know he hasn't played a ton of games, but the guys have so much respect for him, and coaches have so much respect for him, for what he does and what he brings every day and his career path. I’m glad he was rewarded with that two-year one-way deal.”
Drafted in the first round by the New York Rangers in 2010, the 32-year-old McIlrath has toiled mainly in the AHL over the years, where he has played for three Calder Cup champion squads, including captaining the AHL Hershey Bears to consecutive championships in the last two seasons.
He has skated in 11 games for Washington this season, picking up a pair of assists and racking up 14 PIM and a plus-1 rating in the process.
In The Nets – Charlie Lindgren gets the start for Washington tonight in the NHL city closest to his hometown of Lakeville, Minn. Lindgren is 6-3-1 in his last 10 starts, and he has won three of his last four starting assignments, with a 2.21 GAA and a .913 save pct. across those four contests.
Lifetime against the Wild, Lindgren is 0-3-1 in four appearances – all starts – against Minnesota, with a 3.30 GAA and an .898 save pct.
For the Wild, Filip Gustavsson starts tonight. Before future Hall of Fame goalie Marc-Andre Fleury got the starting nod against his former Vegas employers on Tuesday night here, Gustavsson had started seven straight and 11 of the previous 12 games for Minnesota. He makes his 50th start of the season tonight, seeking his 29th victory; his current total is already a career best.
Lifetime against the Capitals, Gustavsson is 2-1-0 in three appearances (two starts) with a 2.98 GAA and a .905 save pct.
All Lined Up – Here’s how we believe the Capitals and the Wild might look on Thursday night in Minnesota’s capital city:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
21-Protas, 80-Dubois, 8-Ovechkin
24-McMichael, 17-Strome, 43-Wilson
88-Mangiapane, 20-Eller, 16-Raddysh
22-Duhaime, 26-Dowd, 72-Beauvillier
Defensemen
38-Sandin, 74-Carlson
6-Chychrun, 57-van Riemsdyk
42-Fehervary, 3-Roy
Goaltenders
79-Lindgren
48-Thompson
Extras
27-Alexeyev
52-McIlrath
53-Frank
Out/Injured
15-Milano (upper body)
19-Backstrom (hip)
77-Oshie (back)
MINNESOTA
Forwards
12-Boldy, 23-Rossi, 36-Zuccarello
90-Johansson, 89-Gaudreau, 41-Nyquist
17-Foligno, 38-Hartman, 18-Hinostroza
13-Trenin, 19-Shore, 15-Brazeau
Defensemen
5-Middleton, 7-Faber
25-Brodin, 46-Spurgeon
4-Merrill, 24-Bogosian
Goaltenders
32-Gustavsson
29-Fleury
Extras
21-Gaunce
34-Crotty
47-Chisholm
Out/Injured
14-Eriksson Ek (lower body)
31-Grosenick (lower body)
97-Kaprizov (lower body)
13-Vilardi (upper body)
