The Capitals are four points out of third in the Metro Division and have seen the Bears of past and present lead the way.
The Capitals are four points out of third in the Metro Division and have seen the Bears of past and present lead the way.
WASHINGTON — For the Washington Capitals, the next 24 hours can be a game-changer and alter the course of the season. And a lot of that rests on the shoulders of the Hershey Bears.
Washington's play has taken a turn for the better, and the team now sits four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division after being down and out just a few weeks back. And while Alex Ovechkin's resurgence has helped the team turn things around, so has the play of last year's 2023 Calder Cup Champion Bears, as well as a handful of call-ups following numerous injuries and absences up front.
"I don't think they get enough credit," Mike Sgarbossa, who joined the Capitals with Evgeny Kuznetsov entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and picked up his first power-play point since 2017, said of Hershey, who remains way ahead of their opponents in the standings despite a handful of their top players being up with the big club.
In addition to Sgarbossa, the Capitals have also recalled Pierrick Dubé, Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko, with key forwards Nic Dowd and T.J. Oshie out with injury.
Lapierre stepped up for a two-goal night in his first NHL game in over a month en route to a huge 6-3 win for Washington over the red-hot Ottawa Senators on Monday.
"When really important pieces go down, you have to see other people step up," Lapierre said matter-of-factly.
But beyond the call-ups, last year's Calder Cup winners have also taken on a leadership role in times like these.
With Kuznetsov and Dowd absent, Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael have been relied upon to take on bigger roles, with Protas returning to his natural center role and McMichael getting more minutes.
Both have impressed and have seen their production increase after lengthy point droughts, with Protas managing points in four of his last five games and seven points total over that span and McMichael putting up three multi-point outings in his last four games overall.
It's not just the production, though; both have been showcasing their responsibility in the defensive zone, winning puck battles and being reliable at both ends.
"When you get points, it's nice, but for me, it's how good am I playing in the defensive situations because those little details in our game, they really matter," Protas said of his game, adding, "For me, more important like, team wins and little details."
Meanwhile, Beck Malenstyn has three points and 13 hits in his last three games and is also the team's leader in blocked shots among forwards.
"I know what those guys can do. The guys that played in Hershey, they're very talented, very hard-working," Lapierre noted. "I mean, for me personally, there was never a doubt that the guys who played in Hershey could accomplish great things in here and help the team win. So I'm super happy to see everyone kind of come together and contribute."
At the same time, Hershey's depth has taken a notable hit, but the team is still atop the league in the standings and continues to find ways to win.
"That's how deep the team was... that demonstrates the talent pool," Sgarbossa said, adding, "I think there's a lot of players that maybe aren't recognized as much as, you know, first-overall picks and stuff like that. But I think there's a lot of good players that played on Hershey in the last little bit. Draft picks or not, that depth is what's making them win. They can score with all lines, they can check with all lines, there's a buy-in, I think, from that team to play a certain way. Not every game is perfect, but that winning mentality is something that I think Hershey's all about."
At the end of the day, it's all part of the job, and for Lapierre and the Bears of past and present, crunch time is now, regardless of the level.
"If they need us to step up, then we're gonna be there," Lapierre said. "We're gonna be ready."