Breaking down the new potential power play schemes in the absence of Alex Ovechkin

The Washington Capitals held a practice without Alex Ovechkin. Here's what the lines looked like.

The Washington Capitals held a big practice on Wednesday with the Colorado Avalanche in town Thursday. The lines from the morning but first a good message from T.J. Oshie.

That was the real reason why it was a big practice. Now here was how the power play lined up via Sammi Silber of The Hockey News:

Power play 1: McMichael-Strome-Wilson-Carlson-Chychrun

Power play 2: Vrana-Dubois-Mangiapane-Miroshnichenko-Sandin

A quick look at the overall power play stats per NHL.com, the Caps rank 24th on the power play ahead of Wednesday's slate of games with a success rate of 16.4 percent. They've scored 27 goals on the season with the man advantage with a power play percentage of .750 percent. The Caps also have an overall plus/minus of 125 per Hockey Referernce.

Without Alex Ovechkin, the Caps only scored two power play goals from Tom Wilson and one only from Connor McMichael, John Carlson and Jakub Vrana.

Vrana talked about the opportunity after he took a trip down memory lane in Las Vegas with a power play strike remincent of the 2018 Stanley Cup run. He said this to Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network:

It was emotional at first, to be completely honest. He's the hottest guy in the league. He's chasing something bigger than hockey. Everyone in the hockey world just feels that little bit of letdown, that emotion, that you're just pulling for him. He's putting everything he has into it. He feels all that pressure and the whole world of hockey is just rooting him on. To come in (the locker room) and see that he's hurt, it hurt a little bit as a teammate. But at the end of the day, that's hockey, it's part of the gig, stuff happens. Guys bounce back from injuries and he's going to do the same.

The Caps will hold an optional morning skate Thursday at 10:30 a.m. before puck drop at 7 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network.