It had only been one week, but in that time Nate Schmidt watched the Washington Capitals turn into one of the league’s hottest teams, stringing together an impressive win streak in games that weren’t close. It was bittersweet for Schmidt, who was obviously happy the team was winning, but was also resigned to being in the press box as a healthy scratch.
As the Capitals notched one win after another, the lineup stayed the same, which made sense. Why tinker with something that’s clearly working? But on an off day in Vancouver, Coach Barry Trotz was asked about what he wanted to see from the three players – Schmidt, Michael Latta and Stanislav Galiev – who’d been pushed out of the lineup.