WASHINGTON - Spencer Carbery didn’t need long to land on a line that could give opponents fits. Once he put Alex Tuch, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson together, the Capitals found a heavy, hard-to-handle trio that has driven their early-season success.
Through three games, that group has done more than produce offense. It has controlled shifts, won the puck battle and tilted the ice for Washington, including Wednesday’s home-opening win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tuch, Dubois and Wilson combined for three goals in that game and posted a 71.89 expected goals-for percentage at 5-on-5. Across the Capitals’ 2-1 start, the line has piled up 11 points and a plus-10 rating. Wilson and Dubois are tied for the team lead with four points apiece.
“I think we're starting to find our groove a little bit,” Wilson, who had a goal and two assists Wednesday, said. “I don't know how much Tuchy's played offside, so I think getting more familiar with that, just using our size, using our speed, thought we made good plays and put ourselves in opportunities to take advantage when they made mistakes.”
Carbery said the line has been doing the dirty work that makes everything else easier.
“They did such a good job of creating turnovers on the forecheck, putting their D under pressure, holding onto pucks, had multiple, long o-zone shifts,” Carbery said. “Anytime that you can do those types of things consistently... it's a huge benefit.”
The numbers have matched the eye test. Washington has used that line against top competition, and on Wednesday it handled Sidney Crosby’s group while Crosby finished scoreless and minus-4.
“I’m playing with two good players. The expectation was high, we have to help our team win games.
Tuchy was a great add, Dubie is just, as far as a 200-foot centerman, he's one of the best in the game,” Wilson said. “We're hopefully going to make it hard on any team's top guys, and then when we get the puck, we can take advantage.”
Tuch sees the same thing Wilson does in his linemate.
“He's just a very well-rounded player. Obviously, he's got that physical presence about him, but he's a great goal scorer.
He's got a knack for the net, but he's just all-out work ethic,” Tuch said. “He's just a really good skater, gets up and down the ice, and just really hard to play against.
I've known that my whole entire career. You try to stay away from a guy like that as much as you can, and definitely keep your head up when he's out there on the ice.
But yeah, with the puck, he makes plays that go unseen, and I think he's actually really good away from the puck too, creating space for his linemates.”
There’s also a simple physical reality to the trio: all three players are listed at 6-foot-4. Dubois said that size matters.
“Sometimes when I'm standing out there, I feel small,” Dubois laughed. “Tuchy and Willy make me feel safe out there... we want to be the line to go out there and just have the puck the whole shift and do it over and over and over again.”
Washington’s early success hasn’t come from one line alone, though. The Capitals have spread the minutes around and leaned on all four lines to contribute, which has helped keep Wilson’s unit fresh and in the kind of situations the coaching staff wants.
Wilson said that balance has made a difference.
“We have a lot of experience in our room, so I think on any given night, somebody else can be called on, and whatever lines going, I think will drive the bus and then everyone else will follow,” Wilson said. “It's nice when you hop over the boards to take a breather, and the next line is is full of experience and skill and talent and speed. It's a good feeling.”
In Other News...
Capitals Got An Encouraging Sign In A Tighter Win Over Rangers
A tighter-than-it-looked 3-1 win over the Rangers gave Washington more than two points in the standings. Boone Jenner and Timothy Liljegren both found the net for their first goals with the Capitals, while Tom Wilson sealed it with an empty-netter. Logan Thompson also delivered a steady night in goal, turning aside 22 shots and giving the Capitals the kind of backbone they needed in a game that stayed close for most of the night.
The result offered an encouraging snapshot of where Washington can lean when the margins shrink. New scorers are always a bonus, especially when they come in a game with that much pressure attached to every shift, and Thompsons performance helped keep the Rangers from turning the contest into a late scramble. The only lingering question from the night came from the other crease, where New York had to adjust in the middle of the game. [Read more 🡒]