We’ve talked nearly to death about Alex Ovechkin’s use or lack thereof in the playoffs but one guy he hasn’t really teamed up with often in the playoffs is Nicklas Backstrom. The two have been playing on separate lines for the most part through the postseason but things might be changing for tonight’s Game 3.
CSNWashington.com’s Chuck Gormley reports Backstrom and Ovechkin were teamed up on the same line for the team’s morning skate along with Marcus Johansson. Caps coach Dale Hunter has been quick to change things up through games so who knows how long we’ll see the two of them together at even strength tonight. If Ovechkin and Backstrom team up together the chances of Washington having one offensively dominant line jump dramatically.
The downside to this is that the Rangers can do their best to try and match up their defense to try and shut them down. Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are the pairing that’s been tasked with keeping Ovechkin quiet but with the Caps being at home, they get last change and the opportunity to avoid that pairing at least off a faceoff.