With the 2018-19 season getting ready to begin, we are going to take a more in depth look at the Washington Capitals and see how they stand and what the lineup could, or should, look like. In today’s article we will be looking at the first two forward lines for the Capitals.
First Line:
Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
The duo of Alex Ovechkin with Nicklas Backstrom is very well known, but this past season Ovechkin with Evgeny Kuznetsov was just dominate. Add the grit and size of Tom Wilson with these two and this line is lethal. Last season Wilson set career highs with 14 goals, 21 assists for 35 points, and in the playoffs registered 5 goals, 10 assists for 15 points. With Wilson’s continued development on the first line with Ovechkin, Wilson can become a 20 goal, 50 points guy this season.
Second Line:
Chandler Stephenson – Nicklas Backstrom – TJ Oshie
Last Season when Andre Burakovsky went down due to injury, Chandler Stephenson was placed on the second line with Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie, and things just clicked for the three of them. In his rookie campaign, Stephenson registered 6 goals, 12 assists for 18 points, and in the playoffs had 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points. His speed paired with Oshie’s grit and workhorse mentality along with Backstrom’s playmaking skill mesh very well together, and should stay together this upcoming season.
Tomorrow on TXHTHockey.com we will have Part 2 of our Washington Capitals Forwards Preview focusing on the third and fourth lines for the Capitals.
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