With Ovechkin Out A Bit, Here’s How The Capitals Fill His Void

The Washington Capitals face a talk task as they’ll be without Alex Ovechkin for a bit, with the captain listed as week-to-week with a lower leg injury suffered on a knee-on-knee collision in the win over Utah Hockey Club.

It’s a tough loss for Washington, as the 39-year-old not only leads the league in 15 goals as he chases down Wayne Gretzky’s record, but is a vital leader for the group on and off the ice.

At this time, the severity of the injury is unknown, but early indications look like it could be some time — but not indefinite.

Related: UPDATE: Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin Week-To-Week After Suffering Lower-Leg Injury

Though Ovechkin accounts for a significant part of the Capitals’ humming offense, Washington has the depth and ability to fill the void while he recovers.

Washington’s offense is capable of still producing without him. The McMichael-Dubois-Wilson trio is one for best in the NHL at producing at 5-on-5, and the blue line’s also accounting for quite a few goals to boot.

That said, here’s how D.C. fills the void.

First off, a recall is imminent, with goal scorers Ivan Miroshnichenko and Ethen Frank the likely candidates to get a look and chance to showcase their offense at the highest level. Though Hendrix Lapierre is also an option, the Capitals aren’t as keen as playing him on the wing.

It won’t just take a recall, though, as D.C. will also likely swap up their lines to account for Ovechkin’s offense.

The second and fourth lines are not likely to change given their chemistry, and Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas will likely stay together.

Head coach Spencer Carbery can either move Andrew Mangiapane or Jakub Vrana up. It’s more likely Mangiapane would get the promotion with the team wanting to get him mote minutes.

The Capitals’ recall could get a chance to just fill that Ovechkin role, though they will more likely fill a third-line role to get up to speed and work with Lars Eller.