Spencer Carbery get big mixup to the Capitals forward lines

In warmups, Spencer Carbery put Connor McMichael between Justin Sourdif and Alex Ovechkin on the top line. Dylan Strome centered Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson, with Brandon Duhaime, Nic Dowd and Anthony Beauvillier behind them.

The shuffle comes after Detroit thumped Washington 5-2 on Saturday, forcing quick fixes for Sunday. Per Bailey Johnson, Sonny Milano sat, and Hendrix Lapierre drew in as Washington hunted steadier five-on-five play.

Connor McMichael is the speed lever, and his job is to enter cleanly and tee up Ovechkin. Justin Sourdif, 23 and drafted 87th in 2020 by Florida, can slide underneath for exits and second chances.

Aliaksei Protas with Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson keeps the Caps' heavy line intact for tougher matchups. Ethen Frank stays in the bottom six with Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko, Washington's 20th pick in 2022.

On the back end, Martin Fehervary stayed with John Carlson, Jakob Chychrun stayed with Matt Roy, and Rasmus Sandin ran with Trevor van Riemsdyk. Charlie Lindgren got the crease, and Washington wants calmer reads.

Jakob Chychrun just scored twice in a 4-0 win over Toronto, showing the defense can still punch. John Carlson added a goal and two assists, and he crossed 750 career points in the process.

At 19-12-4, Washington needs tighter slot coverage after Detroit owned the middle on Saturday. If McMichael drives cleaner entries and Nic Dowd wins shifts, the whole bench should settle down.

Fans have been begging for a different look, and this feels like Carbery finally hitting the reset button.

Hendrix Lapierre has to make his touches count, because Ethen Frank plays fast and direct. Ivan Miroshnichenko brings the shot, and with Rasmus Sandin moving pucks, Washington can attack off quicker exits.

A different five-on-five look can buy Alex Ovechkin more touches in dangerous ice, even before the power play heats up. Sunday is the checkpoint, and Washington needs a real response.