Here are takeaways from Day 2 of Capitals training camp.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Spencer Carbery bangs his stick against the glass as he watches Washington Capitals training camp, praising them for strong plays and encouraging them to continue to push hard on an intense second day.
Friday packed a punch for the team's 63 skaters, as Carbery made some slight tweaks in each group and ran a rigorous practice that emphasized pace. The whistle was blowing over and over as players barely got a breather, participating in line rushes, 2v2 and 3v3 drills and a small-area game.
Groups A and B saw their similar mix of NHL and AHL players as Day 1, but Jake Karabela and Mitchell Gibson got a move up from Group C while Alex Limoges moved down. Jon McDonald and Nick Leivermann also moved up to Group B from Group C.
Ivan Miroshnichenko was among the standouts on the second day of camp in Group A, moving his feet, getting physical and being guided by Alex Ovechkin as he worked to make a bigger impact during drills. Matthew Phillips is also looking strong, using his speed to his advantage.
Ovechkin continues to lead by example, and he and Backstrom both look refreshed and ready to go following long summers of recovery and training.
In Group B, Evgeny Kuznetsov continues to work through a small tweak but wasn't hindered in his performance. Sonny Milano was also moving well, while Hendrix Lapierre also packed a punch. Connor McMichael also looked strong and is officially starting camp and the preseason on the left side before Carbery gives him more reps down the middle.
The lines between both groups stayed the same on Friday as they were on Thursday. Here were the combinations:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Mantha
Milano-Kuznetsov-Wilson
McMichael-Strome-Oshie
Malenstyn-Dowd-Protas
Sandin-Carlson
Fehervary-Jensen
Edmundson-Van Riemsdyk
Camp continues on Saturday before the team takes the ice for a preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.