WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals said they won't gain much of an advantage from Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin being out of the lineup for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Capital One Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Malkin, 31, who sustained a lower-body injury in Game 5 of the first round against the Philadelphia Flyers, wore a noncontact jersey at the morning skate Thursday, and it appears possible the second-line center will be back for Game 2 on Sunday. Hagelin, 29, sustained an upper-body injury in Game 6 against the Flyers. The second-line left wing did not accompany Pittsburgh to Washington, and it seems less likely he'll play in Game 2.
Capitals downplay Penguins being without Malkin, Hagelin for Game 1
Say Pittsburgh has enough forward depth to begin Eastern Conference Second Round
RELATED: [Complete Capitals vs. Penguins series coverage]
The Capitals downplayed any possible edge for Game 1, pointing out that the Penguins have many other skilled forwards, including Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Derick Brassard.
"They're dangerous on all their lines because they play a speed game," Washington coach Barry Trotz said. "They have some guys who have contributed right through their lineup."
Pittsburgh showed how dangerous its offense can be without Malkin (and, for most of the game, Hagelin) in its series-clinching 8-5 win in Game 6 against Philadelphia. But one of the things that has made the Penguins so difficult to match up against during their run of consecutive Stanley Cup titles and nine consecutive series wins has been the one-two center combination of Crosby and Malkin.
Among active players who have played in at least 50 Stanley Cup Playoff games, Crosby (1.15) and Malkin (1.05) rank first and second in points per game. Malkin, who has 162 points (61 goals, 101 assists) in 154 playoff games, had five points (three goals, two assists) in five games centering Hagelin and right wing Phil Kessel in the first round.
"He's a difference-maker and not an easy guy to replace," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Malkin. "But as we've said all along, we have a next-man-up attitude, and it's going to provide opportunity for other guys to step up and try to help us win."
Malkin's skill on the power play and Hagelin's speed on the penalty kill will be missed. At 5-on-5, based on the lines Pittsburgh used during practice Wednesday, Riley Sheahan will fill in for Malkin for a second straight game, with rookie Dominik Simon taking Hagelin's place.
Moving Sheahan up from the fourth line allows Sullivan to keep his third line of Brassard centering Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust intact. Sullivan likes how that line has been playing, and with Kessel remaining on the second line, the Penguins will have offensive threats on their top three lines.
Slowing the top line of Crosby centering Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist remains Washington's biggest challenge.
After the first round, Crosby and Guentzel were tied for the NHL lead with six goals and tied with Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak for first with 13 points. Hornqvist, who has tortured many goalies with his net-front play, missed two games because of an upper-body injury but had six points (two goals, four assists) against Philadelphia.
As the home team, the Capitals will have the last change before each face-off and no doubt will want their best pair of defensemen, Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen, on the ice as much as possible against Crosby's line. That would have been the case even if Malkin was playing.
The Capitals usually had Orlov and Niskanen on in the first round when the Columbus Blue Jackets put their top line of left wing Artemi Panarin, rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois and right wing Cam Atkinson on the ice. Each team was comfortable going power against power, with Washington's top line of Evgeny Kuznetsov centering Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson against Panarin, Dubois and Atkinson. But for the most part, Trotz didn't chase line matchups.
It will be interesting to see if he does the same against the Penguins, who have more high-end offensive skill throughout their lineup than the Blue Jackets, even without Malkin.
Trotz likely will want the defense pair of Michal Kempny and John Carlson against Kessel, who had five points in the first round (one goal, four assists) and has 71 points (32 goals, 39 assists) in 77 playoff games. The Capitals likely will use Kuznetsov's line or the second line of Nicklas Backstrom centering Chandler Stephenson and T.J. Oshie against Crosby's line.
Whichever line ends up against Simon, Sheahan and Kessel might have an advantage with Malkin out, but will have to be careful with Pittsburgh's speed. That's why the Capitals have to continue to play within their team defensive structure, which did a good job of slowing the Blue Jackets in the neutral zone during the final three games of that series.
Washington had a similar opportunity against the Penguins in the second round last season when Crosby missed Game 4 because of a concussion. Pittsburgh won 3-2 without him to take a 3-1 series lead.
Before the playoffs this season, Ovechkin cited losing Game 4 against the Crosby-less Penguins as one of the reasons the Capitals lost that series in seven games.
Losing Game 1 when the Penguins are missing Malkin and Hagelin won't mean the Capitals can't win the series. But it would leave them chasing again, with Pittsburgh getting stronger if Malkin returns for Game 2.
