Jordan Greenway has returned from his middle-body injury to play the last two games. Defense is his calling, but the 6-foot-6, 231-pound winger can also be a handful in the offensive zone when he’s right.
“Playing with [Malenstyn] and Greenway, they do such a good job protecting pucks that they’re good players to have a lot of O-zone time, because when they get the puck, it’s hard to take it from them,” said Josh Dunne, who centered those guys Thursday in Ottawa, his first game in a month.
Dunne won four of seven draws and is 53.4 percent this season. Like his wingers against the Senators, he can hold onto the puck below the goal line, box out defenders with his 6-foot-4 frame and wear down opponents.
But Friday’s practice at Medstar Capitals Iceplex saw another guy, Tyson Kozak, between Malenstyn and Greenway. A smaller, speedier option, Kozak always brings the energy when back in the lineup, and he ranks fourth on the team in hits (103) despite playing in just 41 games.
“He definitely gives us the speed option,” Ruff said of Kozak. “I thought Dunner, for stepping in after a long time out, gave us a good effort – we always get a good effort out of him. … Overall, we know what the different guys can bring us when we put the different pieces in.”