Washington Capitals Player of the Week: Dmitry Orlov

Defenseman Dmitry Orlov had a fantastic week for the Washington Capitals.

The Washington Capitals had another strong week, winning two of three games. Naturally, several players performed well. However, one player stood out. Dmitry Orlov played a big part in both victories, making him the Stars and Sticks Player of the Week.

On a team loaded with offense, the defensemen can often get overlooked. However, Orlov made his presence known in a big way this past week. Top defenseman John Carlson was out the entire week, meaning that someone else on the blue line would need to step up and provide some offense.

Orlov started the week strong on Monday with two goals — including one on the power play –during the Caps’ 6-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. It was the first multi-goal game of the season and the second of his career.

He was kept off the scoresheet Tuesday (the whole team was), but still skated to an even reading in a 3-0 loss to the Senators.

During Thursday’s 5-1 win in New Jersey, Orlov once again had his offensive production in display. This time it, instead of scoring, he was setting up his teammates. He assisted Lars Eller on the potential game-winner and later added an assist on a power-play goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Overall, Orlov finished with two goals, two assists, and a plus-4 rating. Because he did all that while still playing solid defense, Orlov gets the nod for Player of the Week.