The Washington Capitals have recalled Chandler Stephenson ahead of their Game 5 matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening. With their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears set to start their own playoffs series tonight, this is likely not a Black Aces situation but one of either replacement or insurance. The Capitals evened the series at 2-2 on Wednesday, and are trying to put away the Leafs before the young team gets their confidence back.
Stephenson played four games for the Capitals this season and was held pointless, but did score 38 points in 72 AHL contests. The 22-year old has never been an outstanding offensive contributor, though can chip in at both ends of the rink and help in the faceoff dot. His speed is his best weapon, which is perhaps why the Capitals chose him over some other options against the quick Leafs team.
As Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press points out, Brett Connolly played just four minutes in their last game as coach Barry Trotz sat down the fourth line for much of the game. After criticism that he wasn’t using Alex Ovechkin enough, Trotz still only sent him over the boards for 16:31. That won’t change much if the Maple Leafs continue to stay out of the box, as they took just a single minor penalty on Wednesday night.