Game 1 was a first run of the line matching that we’ll see Barry Trotz deploy against the Maple Leafs. What worked for Washington? Japer’s Rink took a look at the line matches and found some interesting stuff.
The Caps were successful when they matched the Evgeny Kuznetsov-Justin Williams-Marcus Johansson line against the Leafs’ top lines, limiting Auston Matthews’ and Mitch Marner’s chances totally, especially alongside the defense pairing of Dmitry Orlov and Matt Niskanen. The second Marner was able to get away from Orlov and Niskanen, he was able to convert on a chance.
The Caps’ third line of Lars Eller-Andre Burakovsky-Brett Connolly was also excellent, especially when sent out on the ice against Matt Martin-Brian Boyle-Kasperi Kapanen.