SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The game between the Canadiens and the Capitals will be presented on RDS and RDS.ca at 7:30 p.m.
Avant-match CH-Capitals
Since he has been in the NHL, Pierre-Luc Dubois has never seemed to fit in, whether under John Tortorella in Columbus, or in Winnipeg after a shock trade for Patrik Laine. We thought the saga was finally over in the summer of 2023, when he headed to California and signed an eight-year contract with the Kings, but the marriage became troubled very quickly and he packed his bags again. next summer, this time to Washington, traded for Darcy Kuemper.
With the Capitals, Dubois seems to have finally found the perfect environment for him.
“I feel at home,” Dubois told Hockey News recently. “It feels like I’ve been here a long time already, it feels like I’ve been around these guys for a long time. The guys and the staff, everyone made me feel welcome here and feel appreciated.”
Dubois wasted no time finding his ideal place in the lineup as the center of an excellent second line. On one side, Connor McMichael, a former first-round pick who is just one point away from matching last year’s total in half the games and is establishing himself as a key player in the top -6 from the Caps this season. On the other, Tom Wilson, the tough guy who frustrates opponents as much with his goals as his shoulder shots.
-Together, they have been on the ice for 17 Capitals goals, a total surpassed by only eight other teams in the NHL, and they have allowed only 13. They also have more than 57% of expected goals in their favor at even strength, the best mark among regular trios for Washington. It’s even more impressive when you realize that they are also the trusted trio of Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, who regularly sends them against the best opposing teams.
Dubois and Wilson are both 6-foot-4 and at least 220 pounds, making an impressive physical duo. And although Wilson is the most physical in terms of shouldering, Dubois stands out by using his size to win his one-on-one duels. With 109 duels won this season, he leads the Capitals and is also first in duels won in the offensive zone (47).
Exactly halfway through his first season in Washington, Dubois has 33 points in 41 games, a pace that would give him his best career total. And yet, his numbers could be significantly better. He generated over 12 expected goals, but only found the back of the net seven times. It’s something that can quickly become frustrating, but Dubois knew he was playing well and the support of his teammates allowed him to keep a cool head.
“At the start of the year, I thought I was playing well, but the points weren’t keeping up. I thought I didn’t have a lot of good supporters, but I never felt like the guys here were asking for more,” Dubois said in a recent article to Hockey News. “I felt like the guys here appreciated what I was doing, whether it was offensively, in a 6-on-5 situation, whatever. When you’re in an environment like that…it’s the environment where it’s fun for everyone and everyone can just be themselves.”
This environment seems to be what Dubois lacked during his first three stops in the NHL. With all the ups and downs he’s had in his career, it’s easy to forget that he’s still only 26 years old. Considering that Logan Thompson, acquired for two third-round picks before the season, is shining in front of the cage with a 17-2-2 record and a .919 save percentage, I don’t think anyone in the organization regrets having traded Kuemper (34 years old).
