New look lines for the Capitals in the Red Wings game

At Saturday's skate, Sammi Silber reported Washington mixing its top trio, sliding Connor McMichael between Alex Ovechkin and Ivan Miroshnichenko. That would be a break from the usual Strome pairing.

The rushes also kept Aliaksei Protas with Justin Sourdif and Tom Wilson, and moved Dylan Strome to center Anthony Beauvillier and Ethen Frank.

Nic Dowd skated between Brandon Duhaime and Sonny Milano, a dependable look for a checking unit. It is a different picture than the NHL.com projection from last week.

After Thursday's 4-0 shutout of Toronto, a 5-2 loss to Detroit on Saturday brought the line blender right back.

There is also a roster wrinkle, with NHL.com noting Ivan Miroshnichenko recalled from Hershey and Bogdan Trineyev loaned down. Any call-up invites a few new looks in practice.

Caps fans have been asking for fresh top-six juice, and McMichael's speed next to Ovechkin feels like a real swing.

Connor McMichael, the 2019 25th overall pick, has 12 points in 24 games, and he can carry entries instead of dumping pucks away.

If McMichael drives the middle, Alex Ovechkin can float into his office, and Ivan Miroshnichenko can hunt rebounds on the weak side.

Miroshnichenko, drafted 20th overall in 2022, has 39 NHL games, and his release is the kind that turns a second chance into a goal.

One thing I like here is the Protas-Sourdif-Wilson trio, because it keeps a big body on retrievals and a heavy net-front option.

Aliaksei Protas has 20 points in 31 games this season, and his plus-23 hints at how well that group can manage puck touches.

The only caution is that NHL.com's latest projection still has Ovechkin with Strome and Beauvillier, with Miroshnichenko listed as a scratch.

Either way, Sunday's rematch in Detroit is the next checkpoint, and the Caps need cleaner exits before any line combo can really breathe.