“That’s good team stuff, when you get guys down the lineup contributing and old, slow defensemen contributing,” Niskanen said with a chuckle. Niskanen looked neither old nor slow as he joined the rush with forwards Travis Boyd and Nicklas Backstrom. [Capitals’ role players take center stage in 4-0 win at Ottawa]“We’ve always put a premium on all six of our defensemen being able to add some offense,” Coach Todd Reirden said. Nowadays, it describes blue liners who are “defensive defensemen,” less concerned about joining the offensive rush and more concerned about risking the opponent getting a prime scoring opportunity back. Washington’s defensemen are also encouraged to be active in the offensive zone because the movement can create shot lanes for forwards.

Source: Washington Post December 26, 2018 17:37 UTC