Reserves must be ready to play at any moment
They are the forgotten men during the Stanley Cup playoffs. While their teammates skate off the ice to receive treatment or quickly head home for an afternoon rest on a game day, the reserves remain behind for a strenuous 30-to-45 minute workout under the watchful eyes of Capitals assistant coaches Bob Woods and Dean Evason.
Playing time is nonexistent. Practices are tedious. Interview requests are minimal. At least until injuries hit or a teammate struggles. Then Washington’s extra role players must parachute directly into the chaos of a postseason series and — ready or not — perform.
Only 18 skaters and two goalies dress for an NHL game. But with no roster limit after the regular season ends, the Caps carried 27 players during a first-round series against the New York Rangers. The organization added four more recalls from Hershey of the American Hockey League this week when the Bears’ season abruptly ended in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs. That’s 31 players total and 11 who will sit and watch Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals this weekend — for now, only three of them injured veterans who could return to the lineup soon.
| Caps notes |
| » Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said there is still no timetable on a return for forward Mike Knuble (undisclosed injury) but that he remains confident his veteran right wing will play in the second round. |
| » Same goes for defenseman Dennis Wideman (right leg hematoma). He skated on his own Wednesday but won’t practice with his teammates Thursday and is unlikely to play in the early second-round games. |
| » Right wing Alexander Semin returned to practice Wednesday after missing the day before with an illness. The Caps also recalled three more players from Hershey of the American Hockey League: forwards Steve Pinizzotto and Mathieu Perreault and defenseman Patrick McNeill. |
But none of the healthy scratches can afford to become complacent. As forward Eric Fehr found out during the New York series, they can be called on at any time. Fehr was a healthy scratch the first three games vs. the Rangers, but when forward Mike Knuble suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 3, the Winter Classic hero was thrust back into the spotlight. Fehr, the third-line right wing, didn’t score. But he did contribute, finishing plus-3 in Games 4 and 5.
“Well, it’s definitely not ideal. But that’s the way it’s going to be,” Fehr said. “I was lucky enough to get in the series, and I’ve just got to play hard when I get the chance. I’ve just got to continue to do things that are going to help the team. Whether that’s scoring goals or getting pucks into the zone, it doesn’t matter.”
Only a handful of those healthy players ticketed for the press box have a realistic chance to play in this next series. Defensemen Tyler Sloan and Sean Collins hold the No. 7 and 8 spots until injured defenseman Dennis Wideman (right leg hematoma) returns. But he hasn’t even endured a full practice yet. If any of the six defensemen in front of Sloan and Collins drop in Game 1 of the second round, then one of them will be called upon. Likewise with forwards Jay Beagle and D.J. King. Lose another winger or center in the next few days and — at least until Knuble is ready — another spot immediately opens up.
“It’s their job. They have to know,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “They’re vested with the team and everything we do – even the guys we brought up [Wednesday].”
That would be Hershey recalls Braden Holtby, Mathieu Perreault, Steve Pinizzotto and Patrick McNeill. Holtby will serve as the third goalie behind backup Semyon Varlamov, who Boudreau has maintained could still see time in these playoffs despite the strong play of starter Michal Neuvirth. Perreault played 35 games in Washington earlier this season with seven goals and seven assists and is an option if a center or two gets hurt. Boudreau had a chat with some of his reserves Wednesday morning.
“I said, ‘You may not play until June 8, if we’re lucky,’” Boudreau said, referring to what would be a Stanley Cup finals game. “’But on June 8, you better be great. So you’ve got to stay in great shape. This isn’t a vacation up here.’”
Beagle has never been in this position before. Recalled to Washington for good after the Feb. 28 trade deadline passed, he appeared in eight games down the stretch, but hasn’t played in one since April 9. In the minors, many college hockey and Canadian juniors players finish their own seasons and then in the spring join their pro organization’s AHL affiliate in reserve roles sometimes known as “Black Aces”. For them, practices become their games. The task: Make the starters work hard and absolutely be ready if called upon.
Beagle, though, went undrafted out of Alaska-Anchorage. He didn’t reach Hershey until the start of 2007-08 season and so was never subjected to that spring treatment in the AHL. But he’s embracing it now in the NHL.
“My role is pretty simple out there,” said Beagle, who appeared in four Stanley Cup playoff games with the Caps during a second-round series against Pittsburgh in 2009. “All I’ve got to do is stay in shape and I can go out there and bang bodies and cause havoc and do what I need to do. Just no turnovers. I’m very confident that if they need me I’ll be ready.”
His time could come soon enough. Washington has already had four days off thanks to its swift victory over New York and will get at least one more. That’s valuable time to allow injuries to heal. But once the games begin again, most coming every other day, the list of wounded will grow. Any team that wants to win a title better have capable replacements or it won’t remain in the tournament long.
“I’m not worried about rust or anything else. Those guys that practiced, they practiced really hard to keep their skills up and who knows when they’re going to get in?” Boudreau said. “But if you watched any of those [playoff] games [Tuesday] night, the hitting is intense – our series was, people were getting hit – and who knows what can happen? It takes its toll on its body, the further you go in the playoffs, because you’re playing an awful long time at a very high level.”
