When Dmitry Orlov is on the ice for the Washington Capitals, the staff has a bodily defender, a participant that may make a superb first move with stable offensive instincts and, above all, a dependable and skilled defenseman who’s trusted in key conditions.
Washington
Dmitry Orlov’s strong return is good sign for Caps as playoffs near
With Orlov again skating with Nick Jensen, it gave the Capitals’ their very best defensive pairings on the blue line. With seven video games left within the common season, it is going to be essential for the Capitals to make use of this time to proceed creating its chemistry and enhance defensively.
Washington (42-23-10) will proceed its five-game highway journey Monday in Colorado, the place Orlov and Jensen will probably be tasked with stopping a deadly offensive assault from the Avalanche. After Colorado, the Capitals will shut out their lengthy highway journey with video games towards Las Vegas and Arizona. Washington at present sits within the second wild-card spot within the Japanese Convention however is barely three factors behind Pittsburgh for third within the East. Washington additionally has two video games in hand.
“I believe all people was able to go [against Montreal],” Orlov mentioned Saturday. “It was an enormous win. We now have a number of video games left on this highway journey and I believe we have to construct on that sport and be higher.”
Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette lauded Orlov and Jensen as “one of many prime defensive pairings within the league” and praised their means to take defensive zone begins and defend opponents’ prime traces.
Nevertheless, Washington nonetheless wants to enhance as a gaggle on the defensive entrance after permitting 11 objectives of their final two video games mixed. The hope is that Orlov’s addition again within the lineup will assist steer the ship in the suitable route.
“We simply have to tighten issues up defensively,” Anthony Mantha mentioned. “We allowed too many photographs and too many second photographs. Vitek [Vanecek] was stable for us once more and we have to change one or two issues and it will be superior.”
Orlov, 30, has missed solely six video games this season and has been considered one of Washington’s prime blue-liners subsequent to Jensen. When Orlov has been out of the lineup, Washington has allowed a mixed 22 objectives. Orlov mentioned Saturday that he felt good in his return and his damage is behind him.
“They [Orlov and Jensen] are each on the highway for profession years offensively, however we worth them equally as a lot defensively and what they’ve been in a position to do collectively,” Laviolette mentioned. “They’ve been a rock stable pair from the beginning of the yr and when [Orlov] has not been in a sport like [Toronto], you miss him.”
Saturday was Orlov’s first four-point sport within the NHL. The 4 factors additionally set a brand new profession scoring excessive for Orlov, who now has 34 factors on the season. He additionally has a profession excessive in objectives (12). Jensen has a career-high 5 objectives this season and 19 factors total — only one level off his profession excessive of 20 factors in the course of the 2018-19 season.
With Orlov and Justin Schultz each scoring towards Montreal, Washington improved to a 28-4-2 file when a defenseman scores a aim this season.
Orlov’s aim got here in a four-goal third interval for the Capitals, the place the defenseman scored from the excessive slot making it a 6-3 sport in Washington’s favor. Schultz, who was remarkably on the ice for all 4 Montreal objectives on Saturday, scored his third aim of the season and first since Dec. 19. He has 4 factors in his final three video games.