Washington Capitals third line makes them Stanley Cup contenders

The Washington Capitals learned their lesson from last season by assembling a third line of outcasts and unlikely stars. 

During the 2015-16 season, the Washington Capitals flirted with history on numerous occasions. They put together their second President’s Trophy season and set a franchise record for wins in a single season (56). Naturally, people thought they wouldn’t be able to replicate their success from last season. However, entering Monday Feb. 6, their point percentage is better than last season’s.

The secret to their success hasn’t been Nicklas Backstrom or Alex Ovechkin, as in recent years. Nor has it been Evgeny Kuznetsov like last season. Rather, it has been an unlikely trio of first round picks. Lars Eller, Andre Burakovsky, and Brett Connolly form a third forward line which, on many nights, has been their best line.

Eller came to the Capitals at the 2016 NHL Draft. The Caps, after seeing what Nick Bonino did to them in the postseason, traded two second round picks for the Montreal Canadiens center. With the Habs, Eller rarely had consistent line mates. A change of scenery has done wonders for him, even if it doesn’t reflect on the scoresheet.

“You try to not focus on not scoring goals,” Eller said, via the Washington Post. “You try to focus on what you can do with and without the puck and keep your legs going and help the team in other ways.”

Lately, he’s been scoring and doing a lot of good things without the puck, accumulating 13 points in 16 games since the start of 2017. Last season, the Capitals had Jay Beagle and Mike Richards rotating as their third line center. Eller has been an upgrade and plays an important role on their penalty kill. His 6.8 percent relative CorsiFor percentage at even strength shows he can tilt the ice in the Caps favor.

Connolly, after struggling with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins, has found a home with the Capitals. The sixth overall pick of the 2010 draft finally has the opportunity to play with the same players every game. Connolly set a career high with 25 points in 2015-16 with the Bruins. With 14 points in 39 games, he’s on pace to at least challenge those numbers. Much like Eller, Connolly has been tilting the ice in the Caps favor with a 6.9 percent relative Corsi For percentage at even strength.

Burakovsky has been up and down the Capitals lineup in the past, but he has settled in nicely on their third line. He gives them a skilled option who can make something out of nothing. As Burakovsky has gained more confidence in his shot, his results have been getting better.

He’s the leading scorer of the third line with 11 goals and 28 points in 52 games. Burakovsky has struggled with consistency throughout his career, going invisible at times. But with the third line, he’s emerged as its most potent weapon.

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While there is no true leader on the third line, they all pitch in. Their chemistry and speed make them hard to deal with, especially since teams tend to hone in on stopping their top two lines. While it’s no HBK line, Eller, Burakovsky, and Connolly give the Caps a very viable third line that can dominate and score. Sure, they stole the recipe from the Penguins, but Washington finally has three lines capable of scoring.