The Capitals are making more changes as they look to ignite a spark on offense.
Following a lackluster 6-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, the Washington Capitals went back to the drawing board and continued to shake things up in hopes to find not only a spark but some identity. That ultimately led to some changes on Friday.
At practice in Ottawa, Matthew Phillips and Tom Wilson switched places, with Phillips skating on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome and Wilson shifting to work with Nicklas Backstrom and Sonny Milano. Nic Dowd remains out with an upper-body injury, so Aliaksei Protas was again centering the fourth line with Beck Malenstyn and Anthony Mantha.
On defense, Hardy Häman Aktell drew in on the third pairing, operating with Trevor van Riemsdyk while Nick Jensen moved to work with Martin Fehervary. Rasmus Sandin and John Carlson stayed together on the first pairing, and Alex Alexeyev and Lucas Johansen were the extras.
Here were the combinations, per The Washington Post's Bailey Johnson.
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael-Evgeny Kuznetsov-T.J. Oshie
Sonny Milano-Nicklas Backstrom-Matthew Phillips
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Aliaksei Protas
Rasmus Sandin-Alex Alexeyev
Martin Fehervary-Nick Jensen
Hardy Häman Aktell-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Darcy Kuemper
Clay Stevenson
Lucas Johansen-Alex Alexeyev
Darcy Kuemper
Clay Stevenson
Phillips is one of the team's three goal-scorers so far this season and is the only forward with more than one point this season. He joins John Carlson, who also has a goal and assist through three games, as the Capitals' leader in points so far this season.
Washington is back in action against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.