Among the 15 Washington Capitals skaters who have appeared in all four games of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Islanders, only forward Troy Brouwer has attempted fewer than two shots on goal at five-on-five. Accordingly, before Tuesday night’s Game 4, Coach Barry Trotz removed Brouwer from his usual perch on the Capitals’ second line, where he had resided for most of the 2014-15 season except for a brief top-trio stint in early October.
Brouwer still logged 20 minutes 52 seconds against the Islanders, his second-highest time on ice since mid-November, but the offensive production still lagged.