The Washington Capitals rely heavily on center Nicklas Backstrom. He’s an elite center. When you get one, you tend to rely on them. Backstrom is more than just the Washington Capitals first line center. He’s their power-play set up man. He’s one of their best face-off winners. He takes on tough competition and flourishes. Even Alex Ovechkin suffers when he has been apart from Backstrom.
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The Capitals will face a huge test early on. It appears that Backstrom will be out for at least the first four games.