BOSTON – His first twirl at center in more than three years was described as “excellent” by his coach, but there was still a learning curve for Marcus Johansson. The most obvious was in the faceoff circle, where he won just 2 of 14 draws.
But playing in his second game as the team’s third-line center against the Bruins on Tuesday night, Johansson won 60 percent of his draws, and for the second time in as many games, he scored. After the 3-2 Washington win, Capitals Coach Barry Trotz was again pleased, and though a sample size of two games is small, the experiment of moving Johansson to center after Jay Beagle’s hand surgery appears to be working out well for the Washington Capitals.