Nic Dowd's move to third line was made in part to get Ryan Leonard more ice time: 'No doubt he's going to be playing 15, 20 minutes before you know it'

""Part of the reason we did that was to get Leno a little bit more ice," Carbery said. "Leno is an incredible player and talented, and going to be a great player in this league for a long, long time. There is no doubt about that. He does three or four things every game that guys cannot do on our roster. He creates something, and it looks great, and right now, they're not going in for him. The production isn't quite there, but he's generating great looks. That's a positive thing.""

"Leonard recently had his best game as a pro against the Florida Panthers, playing 15:08 of ice time and firing seven shots on goal, the most he has recorded in a single game. He has only played more than 15 minutes in a game three times this season. Of the 37 rookie forwards in the NHL this season, Leonard ranks just 17th in average time on ice (12:50). He increased his average with 13:40 of ice time alongside Dowd and Beauvillier against the Kings."

Spencer Carbery moved Nic Dowd from the fourth line to the third line alongside Ryan Leonard and Anthony Beauvillier to give Leonard more early ice time. Leonard played 13:40 with Dowd and Beauvillier against the Kings, raising his average from 12:50. The 20-year-old winger has eight points (3g, 5a) in 19 games and posted a career-best outing versus the Florida Panthers with 15:08 of ice time and seven shots. Leonard ranks 17th among rookie forwards in average time on ice and fourth in scoring among Capitals forwards. The emphasis is on rounding out Leonard's overall game for effectiveness in all situations.

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