Caps lose Eller, but lineup depth carries team to win vs. Flyers originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Capitals thought they had their third-line center back in the lineup Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. They did, but only for 88 seconds.
Lars Eller left the game early in the first period and appeared to be trying to shake off an injury to his right leg as he left the ice. He didn’t play in Thursday’s game against the Flyers, either, due to a family matter but returned to the lineup for Saturday’s game.
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They were also without winger Tom Wilson, who is still serving a suspension, but Washington got enough scoring throughout the lineup to hold on for a 5-4 win, their fourth in a row. The Capitals have played well without some of their top forwards this season through injury and COVID-related issues, and Saturday was yet another example.
“Yeah those are big pieces,” Washington coach Peter Laviolette said. “They are important pieces for different reasons. Tom, for everything that he brings to the table and Lars because he is a centerman and plays in situational plays, is a good two-way player, good defensive player and so those are hard pieces to fill, but I thought the guys did a really good job. It’s a little bit more on the guys having to manage the three centers and move those minutes around, but the guys did an excellent job so that was good.”
Absent Eller, the Capitals rolled with 11 forwards for essentially the second-straight game. Eller skated just 1:28 against the Flyers.
Nicklas Backstrom led the forwards in time on ice at 23 minutes exactly as the Capitals relied on their entire lineup to get the job done.
“We thought we were good, Lars was back and now he's out with a lower-body injury,” Laviolette said. “We felt good going into the game, that changed pretty quick and we were back to the same scenario we were the other night. It becomes even more difficult because you're talking a centerman. You're talking faceoffs, you're talking defensive zone starts where it's so important to win possession.”
The Capitals were rewarded by their depth, though, as the fourth line potted two goals from Carl Hagelin and Nic Dowd. Defenseman Nick Jensen scored a goal, with an assist from Hagelin, to chase Flyers starter Brian Elliott early in the second period, too.
“We’re a veteran group,” Hagelin said. “We have a lot of good players. Guys that want to play big minutes. Guys that are ready for that opportunity. So every time someone’s gone down, it seems like our team as a unit have picked it up. There’s always someone else stepping in and scoring big goals or making good plays defensively and that’s why it’s fun to be a part of this team. Everyone buys in and everyone wants to win games.”
