WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk isn't the kind of guy who jumps off the page.
He doesn't make a lot of noise and can fly a bit under the radar, but so far in the postseason, he's been one of the team's most important pieces on the blue line.
Through seven games, van Riemsdyk has two assists and a plus/minus rating of plus-1 while also registering 12 blocks.
Ultimately, though, it's those small plays, those details that go unnoticed and don't necessarily show up on the scoresheet that have made van Riemsdyk such a key player for D.C. with Martin Fehervary out the remainder of the postseason.
“We needed more from multiple guys on our backend with the loss of Marty Fehervary for the season, and I thought TVR was a guy that stepped up big time and elevated his game," Carbery said.
At 5-on-5, van Riemsdyk leads all Capitals defensemen in expected goals-for percentage (53.11), scoring chances-for percentage (47.66) and high-danger Corsi for percentage (63.65).
Among Washington blueliners with at least 100 minutes played in the playoffs, he has the lowest expected goals against (4.27) and has been on the ice for just two 5-on-5 goals against through seven games.
"He was a guy who stepped up big time (against Montreal) and elevated his game and played more minutes," Carbery added. "From a breakout, clean puck play, defensive closes, off the rush in the defensive zone, he was as good any of our defensemen."
Beyond the numbers, van Riemsdyk is also making numerous key plays that stick out, using his stick to break up rushes, skating the puck out of harm's way or sliding in front of shots, as he did a team-leading six times in the Game 2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
"It's a thankless job for a defenseman to move pucks cleanly on breakouts and through the neutral zone and defend really, really well in all your 1-on-1 situations, because they're small. And then you see it on film," Carbery explained. "Gets no assist for it, gets no accolades, there's no highlights of it. But when you dive into the film and watch it, it's just consistency and (it leads) to positive shifts for our team."
As the series now shifts to Raleigh, van Riemsdyk will again be relied upon to eat big minutes and shut things down with the team having the chance to capitalize away from home.
The Capitals have all the faith he can do just that, and even if others don't notice, they certainly will.
"All year long, he's been super underrated," Connor McMichael said. "He just does little things that not a lot of people notice, but we for sure do in our room."