The Washington Capitals acquired Anthony Beauvillier from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline for a second-round pick. Beauvillier was brought in as a depth option for the club’s playoff run, but received much more responsibility when first-line winger Aliaksei Protas suffered a skate cut injury in early April.
Beauvillier played all five of the Capitals’ first-round series games against the Montreal Canadiens with Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin on the team’s top line, recording five points (1g, 4a). The 27-year-old forward has a history of playoff success, and Caps head coach Spencer Carbery explained after practice on Saturday why he believes Beauvillier has been able to be so effective in the postseason.
“I would say, probably, maybe a common thread that I see is just the mental fortitude of the player,” Carbery said. “Beau is very even-keeled, not too high, not too low. When the intensity gets ratcheted up, when there become pressure situations, he’s very even keel in those moments, and I think that leads to being able to have success in the most difficult time of the year, in the most high-pressure situations.
“And so him, and players in general that thrive this time of year, score big goals, are able to elevate their game. I think that’s a really, really important component, being able to stay in the moment and stay very level-headed as you go through the emotions and the ups and downs and the adversity.”
Over the course of Beauvillier’s nine-year NHL career, he has recorded 36 points (17g, 19a) in 60 career playoff games. The 0.6 point-per-game rate in the playoffs is a full 0.17 increase from his career rate during the regular season, 271 points (131g, 140a) in 631 games.
Beauvillier even once used his clutchness to eliminate the Capitals in a series while with the New York Islanders. During the 2020 playoffs, Beauvillier scored two goals in Game 5 of a first-round series to eliminate the Caps and had four points (3g, 1a) in the series overall.
“There’s something about important games, meaningful games that get me more fired up, get me a little more focused,” Beauvillier said Saturday. “I couldn’t really tell you what it is.”
The Capitals saw a lot of five-on-five success with Beauvillier’s line on the ice against the Habs, owning 53.8 percent of shot attempts, 56 percent of scoring chances, and 59.3 percent of high-danger chances. The three forwards combined for 19 points (7g, 12a) in the five games and outscored Montreal 4-1 during their joint minutes.
“I think [Beauvillier] has a knack for playing well in those big games,” Strome said. “He’s played in a lot of playoff games in his career. I think he’s a smart player, but I also think he has the offensive instincts to buckle down when we need to make a play or vice versa when we need to make a defensive play. Great guy to have on your line. It’s been fun so far.”
Beauvillier’s biggest contributions in the Habs series came in Game 1, when he scored the Capitals’ second goal of the game, but then brilliantly set up Ovechkin for the overtime game-winning goal.
With Protas back, Beauvillier’s versatility will allow Carbery to keep him in the lineup even if he chooses to reunite the 30-goal scorer with Strome and Ovechkin eventually. During the regular season, Beauvillier spent nearly 100 minutes of five-on-five ice time with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime on the team’s fourth line.
“When you get around him, obviously he has a great skill set, and all that stuff I’ve talked about – his versatility through the lineup, first line, fourth line, can fit in Swiss Army knife type player,” Carbery said.
Despite them playing a vastly different role than Strome’s line, Beauvillier found immense success with the mostly defensively deployed and more direct fourth line. With the trio on the ice, the Capitals saw 54.5 percent of shot attempts, 53.1 percent of expected goals, 52.4 percent of scoring chances, and 61.2 percent of high-danger chances.
“I feel like I can adapt to any line I’m on or any role I’m given,” Beauvillier added. “It’s something I take a lot of pride in doing. I feel like, as a player, it’s important to be able to do that, obviously, to get you more ice time or more opportunities to play with different players. Happy to be able to do that here.”
Carbery has Beauvillier set to start the team’s second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes still with Ovechkin and Strome on the top line. The Capitals held a full practice on Saturday for the first time ahead of Game 1 against the Hurricanes, which is slated for Tuesday night at Capital One Arena.
