Mantha Benched In Capitals’ Loss To Predators; Laviolette Tight-Lipped

WASHINGTON — As the Washington Capitals facing some difficult roster decisions, the team made some tweaks to the lineup on Friday against the Nashville Predators, and ultimately, it led to a shocking move where one player spent the majority of his time on the bench: Anthony Mantha.

After playing on the fourth line with Aliaksei Protas and Garnet Hathaway on Thursday, Mantha found himself on the same formation on Friday, only Nic Dowd was back at center while Protas was a healthy scratch.

Mantha ended up playing just 9:48 minutes (13 shifts) in the Capitals' 3-2 loss to the Predators. He had been on the ice for both goals against in the first period and finished the night with two shots, two hits, two blocks and a +/- rating of minus-2. The second period also saw Sonny Milano play on Mantha's line.

However, head coach Peter Laviolette didn't reveal much on the reasoning behind Mantha's limited ice time, and insisted no one was double-shifted.

"I didn't double shift Milano or Mantha. They switched one shift. Mo went off with his foot and the lines got rumbled there for a little bit after a power play. But then they went back in sync."

Mantha had entered Friday's game riding a three-game point streak with points in four of his last five outings overall. The 28-year-old has nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 42 games so far this season, and there are times when he has struggled with inconsistency as well.