Hobbled Capitals look to bring physicality into Game 2 against Canadiens

The Capitals are now three games away from winning their first postseason series since they lifted the Stanley Cup in 2018.

They’ll skate into Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens without defenseman Martin Fehervary, who will miss the rest of the playoffs with a battered knee.

He’s the latest loss for a Washington squad that has seen injuries pile up after a mostly healthy campaign.

“My heart hurts for him because he’s an unsung hero for our team,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said during a sparsely attended optional practice on Tuesday. “He competes his butt off every single day. Every single night, he lays it on the line.”

The numbers support the coach’s assessment, even if the defenseman lacks Alex Ovechkin-like flashy highlights. Fehervary led the team in blocked shots per game, adding 139 hits as he patrolled in front of goaltenders Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren.

“It’s a huge loss,” fellow defenseman Matt Roy said Tuesday. “He’s had such a good year, and he competes hard for us. He’s definitely going to be missed.”

Washington had enjoyed remarkable consistency from its blueliners, with the same six skaters anchoring the defense for an uninterrupted 60-game stretch earlier this season.

Still, the Capitals are accustomed to injuries. Thompson returned to action on Monday after missing the final two weeks of the regular season. Past seasons have seen stars like T.J. Oshie sidelined for months.

“Guys are just going to have to step up,” veteran forward Nic Dowd said. “The good thing about this organization is that unfortunate thing — we’ve had so many injuries the past two to four seasons. We’ve had guys that already stepped into those roles at times, and they understand what it takes to be successful.”

Carbery said there’s no way for one player to replace Fehervary’s role. Instead, defensemen like Alexander Alexeyev — who left Monday’s Game 1 after taking a stick to the face — will fill the void in the aggregate. Alexyev needed “significant dental work,” but Washington’s coach expects him to return to the ice for Game 2.

“Late, late night for him, but he should be good,” Carbery said.

That’s the nature of playoff hockey. Players will lose some teeth, suffer some bloody noses and take countless bruises off the ice with them.

Carbery wouldn’t have it any other way.

His squad flashed more physicality on Monday night than they had for much of the season. That was by design.

“When the stakes get raised, the physical intensity of the games increases significantly. When you’re trying to win a series — not just a game, but a series — you want to be able to literally and figuratively impose your will,” the second-year coach said. “You just continue to impose your will. It’s significant.”

Dowd was a bit more succinct. Even if the hits didn’t pay off immediately, a young Montreal squad might start bracing for them as the series continues, he explained. The Capitals want the Canadiens to expect pressure and second-guess themselves.

“It’s going to pay dividends in the end,” he said.

The roster-wide physicality will likely receive a boost when forward Aliaksei Protas returns to the lineup. The Capitals have been intentionally vague about his recovery timeline since he suffered a skate cut on his foot during the April 4 game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Protas skated before Tuesday’s practice in a noncontact jersey. The 24-year-old eased around the ice, focusing on accelerating and braking, revving back up for game action.

The Capitals have not said whether Protas will return for Game 2, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Capital One Arena. Another win would give Washington a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series before the action shifts to Montreal.