Ovechkin demoted to 3rd line ahead of Game 5
Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin was moved from Washington's first line with Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie to the third line with Lars Eller and Tom Wilson at the club's practice Friday morning.
#caps practice lines
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) May 5, 2017
Burakovsky-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Kuznetsov-Williams
Ovechkin-Eller-Wilson
Winnik-Beagle-Connolly
Though practice lines can often be a smokescreen, Ovechkin said head coach Barry Trotz told him he wants to spread out the offense, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.
Ovechkin seemed to have no problem with it and said he hoped it works, Gulitti added.
Trotz backed up his move by saying that with 11 forwards (Washington has dressed seven D since Karl Alzner returned) Ovechkin could very well double shift in the do-or-die game. He added that this is not based on Ovechkin's Game 4 performance, according to Gulitti.
Washington will try to stave off elimination in Game 5 on Saturday against Pittsburgh.