The Capitals are working with Aliaksei Protas to help him get back to his scoring ways, and aren't putting too much urgency or weight on his shoulders.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — For Washington Capitals coach Spencer Carbery, he views Aliaksei Protas' break out just one year ago as a "blessing and a cure."
How come?
"It's created an expectation," Carbery explained. "He's a 30-goal scorer in the NHL. He’s a 30-goal scorer in the NHL, which is an accomplishment that not a lot of players reach. A 30-goal scorer is really, really impressive. So now he has that in his head — rightfully so. He did it. And now he’s going to live up to that and feel like he has to do that, that’s his bar, and even exceeding that to do even better."
Protas has five goals and six assists for 11 points through 19 games this season, and put an end to a six-game point drought on Monday with a primary assist en route to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
For the 24-year-old, his main goal entering the season was to show that last year wasn't just a fluke. However, asking Carbery, he wants to remove last year altogether when it comes to Protas' development.
"It's a slippery slope for a player, and that's what I'm trying to make sure (of), that he's not evaluating his game on whether he scores," Carbery said.
That's because what Protas brings to the Capitals is more than just generating offense. The 6-foot-6 winger has made his mark as one of the best 5-on-5 players on the league, earning him Selke consideration last season.
Breaking Up The Dowd Line Wasn't Easy For The Capitals. It Worked, And Now, Carbery's Looking To Keep The Chemistry Going
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery discusses breaking up Nic Dowd's fourth line and shaking things up to generate some more chemistry up front.
He can eat heavy minutes and plays multiple roles, including being first over the boards on the penalty kill and complementing Tom Wilson on the top-6. Protas has also gotten power-play time at different points this season.
Watching his play, Carbery can see there are times that he gets frustrated, but ultimately, he's working with him to trust the process and embrace his identity as a hard-working, two-way player.
"There’s 50 other plays in the game that I’m worried about him doing a really good job with, so trying to keep his focus on that. He’s a great 200-foot winger that can skate, that is intelligent, that’s on the right side of the puck, that defends really, really well, that can take the puck back on the forecheck," Carbery said.
Of course, getting that production back will be big for Washington as the team has collectively struggled to get goal support down the lineup.
But for Protas, the Capitals don't just want points; they want to see him continue to contribute in ways that don't necessarily show up on the scoresheet, but can be the difference in getting two points.
"There’s so many things that have nothing to do with scoring that he can positively affect the game and that’s what I try to focus with him on, because if he’s evaluating himself on scoring, I think he’s selling himself short.”